Every Beach Was Crowded, and Each of Us Drank Something Different
When to use each; when to use every. Sometimes it’s hard to know for sure. I hope these guidelines are helpful.
Each is a singular word that may be used as a pronoun, adverb, or adjective. When functioning as a noun, it always takes a singular verb.
Examples:
as a pronoun: Each of the girls has a different drink. (note: not each of the girls have…) A case could be made that each is actually an ellipsized adjective here, as the sentence is understood to be “each one of the girls,” but I find this to be cumbersome and too confusing to most students. However, remembering that the “one” is there helps students to remember that it is crucial to use a singular verb.
as an adjective, referring to individual items in a collective whole: Do you want me to separate each section of the chapter with a flourish?
as an adverb meaning “apiece”: They got ten tokens each.
Every is a collective adjective, meaning that it groups all members of the set to which it refers into a whole, without exception.
Example: Every child had a balloon.
I hope these explanations clear up the confusion that you may have had about the use of these words.