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English All together vs Altogether

The terms all together and altogether can be confusing in English. Once you've read through this lesson, you'll have an altogether better understanding of them.
 

All together

All together means everyone or everything together.

It's time to sing. All together now!

The last time we were all together was in 1999

Put the bills all together on the desk

If the two terms can be separated, that's a dead giveaway that the term you want is all together.

It's time for all of us to sing together now!

The last time all of us were together was in 1999

Put all the bills together on the desk

 
Altogether

Altogether is an adverb and means "all in all," "all told," or "completely."

That was altogether too difficult

Altogether, not a bad day's work

It cost over a thousand dollars altogether

 
The Bottom Line

If you can replace the term with something like "completely" or "when all is said and done," you are altogether better off with altogether. If you can rewrite the sentence to use all and together separately, the term you want is all together.
 

English Difficulties

 

  

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