# How many of something is required to use the term “all”? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2021, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926 "2021-09-19T13:53:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2021, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926/81 "2021-09-29T13:56:19Z")
The best clarification of the use of “all” conversationally… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HrIeP798hiQ/hqdefault.jpg "Just give me all the bacon and eggs you have...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrIeP798hiQ) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926/82 "2021-10-02T04:14:38Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > . . . if there’s one glass of beer on the table, and Betty drinks it, it might seem wrong to say ‘Betty drank all the beer’. . . you have either not had kids or your kids are old enough that you have forgotten but “all of the candy” can refer to a miniscule piece, if a sibling were the one to consume it. My kids aren’t old enough to fight over beer, but give them time. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926/83 "2021-10-02T04:27:52Z")
Neither. “You have all the X” would be appropriate if you have a larger than expected amount of X. For cats I’d say it’s probably at least 4 for a single family. For baseball cards it’d be thousands. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926/84 "2021-10-02T13:14:58Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > you have either not had kids or your kids are old enough that you have forgotten but “all of the candy” can refer to a miniscule piece, if a sibling were the one to consume it. Or you trimmed out a quote that made it seem like I said the opposite of what I actually said 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2021, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926/85 "2021-10-03T03:33:53Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Or you trimmed out a quote that made it seem like I said the opposite of what I actually said 🤷‍♂️ Sorry, that wasn’t my intention, I was just trying to make a joke ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2021, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926/86 "2021-10-03T07:14:01Z")
Fair enough, understood [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-something-is-required-to-use-the-term-all/950926.md?page=4)