each

The word "each" refers to one in a group. It’s similar to the word "every," however, the word "each" emphasizes the individual item or person.

In these sentences, "each" is an adjective:

• The teacher gave each student a book.
• That company makes each product by hand.
• I picked each apple very carefully.
• Each day Melinda tries to run a little farther than the day before.
• We mark each day on the calendar until the end of the schoolyear.

In these sentences, "each" is a pronoun:

• He knows each of his students by name.
• Graciella wasn’t sure which vegetables were the freshest, so she bought one of each.     (one of each = There are several groups. You pick one from each group.)
• Each of the runners wants to win the race. (The word "each" is the subject in this sentence; therefore, the verb "want" is in the singular form, "wants.")
• The students were told they needed a signature from each parent.

Note: Sometimes you’ll hear "each other" used. This is a little different from "each." This video explains what "each other" means.)

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This page was first published on August 18, 2012. It was updated on July 5, 2015.