Tuesday, February 14, 2006

all the time, every time

There is some confusion between every time and all the time in a couple of papers. Every time refers to several different events. All the time consists of an extended event.

At McDonald's, I work every time. (In this sentence, it is a little unclear, but the sentence suggests that when McDonald's needs me to work, I work. It means several different times.)
At McDonald's, I work all the time. (In this sentence, the writer is saying that the person works the full time that he or she is at McDonald's.)