scope of negation

@navi posted:

1) He didn't like all of the guests.
2) He didn't like all the guests.
3) He couldn't stand all the guests.
4) He couldn't stand all of the guests.

Could these sentences ever be used instead of:

1a) He didn't like any of the guests.
2a) He didn't like any of the guests.
3a) He couldn't stand any of the guests.
4a) He couldn't stand any of the guests.

respectively?

I think that could only happen in informal spoken English with a particular emphasis. Generally, the meaning would be 'some but not all'.

Hello, Navi—I agree with you. With special emphasis (on "all of the guests"), the meaning could shift from "some but not all" to "not any."

@navi posted:

I think '3' and '4' might have another meaning.

He couldn't stand all of them together.
Individually he could stand any of them, it was the fact that there were all there that was unbearable for him.

I agree with you on that count, too, but I think the "all of them together" possibility holds for both the "didn't like" and the "couldn't stand" sentences.

Navi, you may be interested in this similar thread, started by Azz. Coincidentally, you and Azz happen to be testing the same hypothesis at the same time.