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Ashleigh Dalrymple asked, "Does anyone know if there is a rule about using
'all' versus 'all of'?"
In a nutshell, "all" is absolutely fine and "all of" is pretty fine, too.
Some purists complain that the "of" is unnecessary baggage, something we
tack onto "all" out of habit (such as we do with "none," for example).
Sometimes, of course, "of" does affect the meaning of the word it's attached
to--compare "some people are rude" to "some of the people (at the meeting)
were rude."
As I recall, either Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition)
or the latest edition of the American Heritage Dictionary contains a usage
note for "all" that addresses this.
All in all, not something worth fussing over too much (though it does take
me back to my copy editing days).
Walter Campbell
Technical Writer
eCharge Corporation
Phone (206) 749-9900 x672
Fax (206) 749-9800
wcampbell -at- echarge -dot- com
