English Reference

all vs whole

All focuses on the total number of individual items, while whole focuses on the entirety of a single unit.

all

the total amount or every individual

All the students passed the final exam with high marks.

whole

one complete thing from start to finish

The child ate the whole apple, including the seeds.

Watch out

  • The whole employees attended the mandatory safety meeting.

    All the employees attended the mandatory safety meeting.

  • I read the all book in just two hours.

    I read the whole book in just two hours.

Remember All for plural; whole for singular.

Quick check

Fill the gap with one of the two options.

  1. 1.

    She spent her money on a new laptop last weekend.

  2. 2.

    We spent the day walking around the historic district.

More like this in Grammar and structure.