ENGLISH
REFERENCE

as a whole

prep. phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. you use this to talk about all the parts of something together as one group.

prep. phr.. an adverbial phrase used to indicate that a subject is being considered in its entirety rather than as individual components or segments.


SIMPLE

The team as a whole plays much better now.

CONTEXTUAL

While some departments are struggling, the company as a whole is still making a profit.

COMPLEX

We must examine the impact of the policy on society as a whole rather than focusing on specific demographic groups.

Usage

usually follows the noun it modifies to provide a collective perspective.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'individually' or 'separately' to help students see the shift from specific parts to the complete entity.

Pitfall

The society as whole is changing.The society as a whole is changing.the indefinite article 'a' is a fixed part of this phrase and cannot be omitted.

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