Of all or among all?

[Bin Duan]

He studies the hardest of all.
I came across this example sentence in my grammar book.
Is it possible that “of all(his classmates)” is the same as “among all(his classmates)”?

 

[tedmc]

I think without being specific, "all" could mean anything that his studying is compared to.

 

[Barque]

Is it possible that “of all(his classmates)” is the same as “among all(his classmates)”?

If "all" refers to everyone in his class, it means he studies harder than anyone else in his class.

I'm not sure what you mean by "among all".
"He studies the hardest among all" doesn't sound as natural as "He studies the hardest of all".

 

[Bin Duan]

If "all" refers to everyone in his class, it means he studies harder than anyone else in his class.

I'm not sure what you mean by "among all".
"He studies the hardest among all" doesn't sound as natural as "He studies the hardest of all".

I’m not familiar with the expression “of all” according to my previous learning experience, especially in that sentence. So by saying “He studies the hardest among all,” I refer to the possibility that these two prepositions are interchangeable, that is.

 

[teechar]

@Bin Duan, please note that "of all" is correct, natural, and very common in such sentences. In fact, it is more common than "among(st) all" or "out of all". It works in a broader range of sentences than do the other alternatives.

 

[emsr2d2]

I came across this example sentence in my grammar book.

This is not sufficient. Whenever you quote someone else's words, you must provide the full source - the title of the book and the name(s) of the author(s).

 

[Tdol]

I'd just use among, not among all, though of all is much more natural.

 

[emsr2d2]

@Bin Duan You clicked "Like" on post #6, in which I asked you to provide the source of the original sentence, yet you still haven't given it. It is now too late for you to edit your original post so please add a response to this thread with the source information.

 

[Bin Duan]

I apologize for my postponement. The example sentence I quoted above was from A Guide to English Grammar by Shi Xiong Lai or Peter Lai, known as a famous English teacher in Taiwan as well as in mainland China. Since I couldn’t find any any English information but Chinese about this book, I posted 2 images on it. I hope it helps.

 

[donghongzi]

Yes, "of all" and "among all" can be used to indicate that something is being compared to a group or set of people or things. In the example sentence, "of all" or "among all" could be used to indicate that the person being referred to is being compared to their classmates, and that they are the one who studies the hardest among all of their classmates. So, in this context, "of all" and "among all" can be used interchangeably to convey the same meaning.

 

[emsr2d2]

I apologize for my postponement the delay. The example sentence I quoted above was from A Guide to English Grammar by Shi Xiong Lai or Peter Lai, known as a famous English teacher in Taiwan as well as in mainland China. Since I couldn’t find any any English information but Chinese about this book, I posted have added 2 two images on of it. I hope it helps.

Thank you. There is no need for extra information. All you needed to do, in post #1, was add:

Source: A Guide to English Grammar by Shi Xiong Lai