Denotes equal spacing at a stated interval, or a proportion corresponding to such a spacing. We stopped for refreshments every ten miles. The alarm is going off every few minutes.

Understanding the Context

Every third bead was red, and the rest were blue. The sequence was thus red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue etc. Usage Note: Every is representative of a group of English words and expressions that are singular in form but felt to be plural in sense. The class includes noun phrases introduced by every, any, and certain uses of some.

Key Insights