Altogether vs All Together
Altogether and All together seem like the same thing, only spelled as one word or two, right? After all, they sound the same. No. They are actually different words with different meanings. Altogether is an adverb that means completely or totally. All together is a phrase that means everyone or everything in a group gathered in one place or at the same time.
Here are some definitions and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Altogether (adverb)
Completely, totally.
Examples:
I did not expect the movie to end that way. It shocked me altogether.
We made different plans altogether since we couldn’t decide where to go.
In both sentences, you can replace altogether with “completely” or “totally,” and they would make sense, wouldn’t they?
All together (phrase)
Everyone or everything in a group gathered in one place or at the same time.
Examples:
It was great to see everyone all together at the annual family reunion.
To start my next art project, I got my drawing supplies all together.
In the first sentence, it’s all the members of a family in one place at the same time (everyone). In the second sentence it’s gathering drawing supplies to start working on an art project (everything). In both sentences, the idea is that all the people or all the things are gathered in one place at the same time.
Main Points
- Altogether is an adverb that means completely or totally.
- All together is a phrase that means everyone or everything gathered in one place at one time.
- To help you decide when to use which word, try substituting just the word “together” to see if it makes sense. If it does, use all together. If it doesn’t, use altogether.
- Example: I did not expect the movie to end that way. It shocked me together. Huh? That doesn’t make sense, does it? Use
- Example: It was great to see everyone together at the annual family reunion. Yes! That makes sense! Use all together.