Revised as of
20 Oct 2022
Yep, it’s yet another word (and a homonym) that has confused the heck out of me. When do you use all together instead of altogether?
From going through the definitions and examples as well as C.S. Lakin’s tip towards the bottom of the table, I’d say that all together is more physical while altogether (if we ignore the nude possibilities) is more abstract, more adverbial in that it does more to qualify or modify an adjective, verb, another adverb, or a word group.
| One way . . . | . . . or Another |
|---|---|
| We’re in the all together . . .
I feel like I need a comma and a now and no the to create a “we’re in, all together now” and then we’ll be off singing or dancing or . . . who knows. |
We’re in the altogether . . .
Woohoo, we’re all nekkid! |
| Let’s all get together . . .
Well, other than that “get” interruption, it sounds as if we’ll be going off to do something. |
Let’s altogether get . . .
Mmmm, no, “let’s completely?” or “let’s all in” . . . no, no, this isn’t working. |
| Are we all together?
Is everyone here? |
Are we altogether?
Well, if we use Lakin’s tip, this sentence could translate as:
|
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| All Together | Altogether |
|---|---|
Festival of the Winds 2010 by Newtown Grafitti from Sydney, Australia (All together now Uploaded by clusternote) is under the CC-BY-2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — At the Festival of Winds 2010, the kites were sent up all together. |
Love in Wiesbaden by Jacob Appelbaum from San Francisco, USA is licensed under CC-BY-SA-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. — Yep, they’re in the altogether. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adverb Phrase | Adverb 1; Noun 2
Plural for the noun: altogether |
| Collectively
All in one place or in a group All at once |
Entirely, completely
Adverb: In total, completely, entirely, wholly 1 Including everything or everyone In total Taking everything into consideration On the whole All included All counted All told All things considered Noun: |
| Examples: | |
| They came in all together.
It was good to have a group of friends all together. There are six bedrooms all together. Our state governments spend all together about two billion dollars a year. All together, the purges left hardly a single leader of the 1917 Revolution alive. |
Adverb: That is a different matter altogether. Altogether his paintings aren’t worth spit. The opening was, altogether, a success. After climbing Pikes Peak, the hikers were altogether exhausted. They were altogether in accord. Noun: We’re, um, in the altogether here. |
| C.S. Lakin at Live Write Thrive has a useful tip on figuring out when to use which: “If you can substitute completely or all in for altogether, you’ve got the right word. But if you can rewrite the sentence using all together separately, then that’s the way to go.” | |
| History of the Word: | |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for All Together versus Altogether
Apple Dictionary.com
Lakin, C.S. “Are You Altogether All Together?” Live Write Thrive. 4 Apr 2014. Web. n.d. <https://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/04/are-you-altogether-all-together/>.
Merriam-Webster: altogether (<http://i.word.com/dictionary/altogether>)
Skillin, Marjorie E., Robert M. Gay, and other authorities. Words into Type. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1974. Third edition. Print, 448
Pinterest Photo Credits
Before the Deluge by Cornelis van Haarlem (1615), via Wikimedia Commons.
This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional work of art — an oil on panel (RKDimages, Art-work number 40692). It is 65.5 × 107.5 cm (25.8 × 42.3 in) and located in the National Museum in Warsaw, although not currently on view. It is in the public domain and was photographed by pl.pinterest.com, <https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/418905202818407164/>.
