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All ... not ... v.s. Not all ...



 
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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
now that | Possessive
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All ... not ... v.s. Not all ... #1 (permalink) Mon Oct 24, 2011 16:58 pm   All ... not ... v.s. Not all ...
 

1. All of my family did not vote him.
2. Not all of my family voted for him.
3. Some of my family voted for him, but some didn't.
----------------------------------------
According to my grammar book, all of the sentences above are equal.

But #1 is so special to me. If I did not read the grammar book, I would think it refers to "None of my family voted him."

I would like to know whether using pattern #1 is common in English speaking countries. Do native speakers never misunderstand its meaning like I do? Would you avoid using such pattern?

Thanks a lot.
Justin_Huang
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Posts: 320
Location: Taiwan (ROC)

All ... not ... v.s. Not all ... #2 (permalink) Mon Oct 24, 2011 18:16 pm   All ... not ... v.s. Not all ...
 

I would recommend avoiding #1. It is awkward and ambiguous.
Dozy
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Joined: 17 Jun 2011
Posts: 3315
Location: UK

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All ... not ... v.s. Not all ... #3 (permalink) Tue Oct 25, 2011 2:21 am   All ... not ... v.s. Not all ...
 

Thank you, Dozy.
I'm glad to learn that an English specialist like you also consider it an ambiguous sentence.
I'll avoid using it.
Justin_Huang
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Posts: 320
Location: Taiwan (ROC)

All ... not ... v.s. Not all ... #4 (permalink) Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:28 pm   All ... not ... v.s. Not all ...
 

Sorry Justin, I didn't notice before, but presumably #1 should say "All of my family did not vote for him." I assume that was just a typo and not relevant to your question?
Dozy
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 17 Jun 2011
Posts: 3315
Location: UK

All ... not ... v.s. Not all ... #5 (permalink) Tue Oct 25, 2011 18:42 pm   All ... not ... v.s. Not all ...
 

Hi Dozy,
You are correct. It was a typo and not relevant to my question. I understand that even there is no typo, the sentence is still ambiguous.
Thanks for your confirmation.
Justin
Justin_Huang
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Posts: 320
Location: Taiwan (ROC)

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