All This or All These(Pls clear my doubt)

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yeecharles

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A friend of mine made such sentences:

[FONT=&quot]Coming together is a beginning, working together is a process and staying together is a success. If every one can do all these, [/FONT]our school can become an outstanding institution.

My doubt is, can the underlined words be 'all this'? In my opinion, the first sentence is a group of actions.
 

White Hat

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[FONT=&quot]Coming together is a beginning, working together is a process and staying together is a success. If every one can make all of these work, [/FONT]our school can become an outstanding institution.
 

5jj

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'All these' is fine; 'all this' appears possible.
 

yeecharles

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Why is 'all this' possible?
 

5jj

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yeecharles

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Raymott

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Why is 'all this' possible?
You've answered your own question in your first post: "the first sentence is a group of actions." It's one group of actions. If everyone can accomplish this group of actions, the school will be outstanding (and probably a little boring).

PS: 5jj and I crossed in posting.
 

emsr2d2

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I agree that "all this" is possible for the same reasons.

Here's another example:

- While I'm at work, please do the washing up, hoover and clean the oven?
- I'll try!
- If you can do all that, I'll buy you a huge bar of chocolate!

Although the person is being asked to do three separate things, they can be viewed as one list of things to do. Consequently, I would happily use "that" which is singular, as is "this". I would be unlikely to say "If you can do all those, I'll buy you chocolate".
 

yeecharles

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Thanks, every one, for your enlightening explanations.
 
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