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All - Whole

ALL? (ALL THE?)/ WHOLE?

"ALL/ WHOLE" are quantifiers (a form of determiners indicating a quantity). They express « totality », or completeness.

There are already several lessons et exercises tackling this problem on this site. test test test. Yet, today, I'll examine these quantifiers studying their constructions in expressions, considering the nature of the words which are with them. 

I) ALL+ noun = a  complete entity, used with uncountable nouns:  

   a) ALL isn't followed by 'of' when it is preceding a noun:

-   « All work and all play, the here4u way ! » 

-    All alcohol is forbidden at this party where there'll be kids. 

b) ALL + determiner + noun in the singular: « the determiner» may be a definite article, a demonstrative adjective, possessive adjectives/ possessive genitives:

- All my father's collection of stamps has been ruined by the flood. 

If the « group in the singular » is the subject of the verb, this verb must be in the singular. Yet, if the noun is « collective », applying to several people, (team/ committee/ school/ family/), the verb will be in the plural. 

-  All my family are coming to my party next Saturday. 

II) ALL + noun in the plurall (with or without a determiner).

-  All the excuses you're giving are unbelievable... Stop lying now! 

   III) "ALL" may qualify pronouns and even be an indefinite pronoun.

   - The kids? Yes, they all like chicken nuggets and chocolate cake, but they'll all need a nap before the party.

   IV) WHOLE = a quantifier or an adjective or a noun. The meaning is quite close to that of « ALL ». Yet, « THE WHOLE » insists on the unity of an entity, but not on its multiple componants. Most of the time, the verb is in the singular.

Structure =  determiner + WHOLE + noun   or  determiner + WHOLE + adjective + noun.

a) When it is a quantifier, WHOLE can only be used with NOUNS in the singular:

- either a countable singular:

-  The whole exercise is terribly difficult. You'll need some help. 

 - « Swear to tell theTruth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. » 

b)  They may be accompanied by an adjective.

 -   The whole complicated case couldn't be solved in so few weeks.

 - The best marmelade is made with whole oranges. 

a/ the whole /  the whole of (especially with place names = the whole of Great Britain)/  "on the whole" = generally speaking.

V) ALL/ WHOLE + the noun "DAY" and other expressions of TIME: all day/ all day long// all night/ all week/ all year/ all the time/ all my life/ 

   - The whole day/ the whole night/ the whole time/ my whole life.

  VI) FREQUENT MISTAKES:                   

   a)  DO NOT USE  "all", but use WHOLE, after  "a" and "an".

-  She ate a whole pack of sweets by herself.

       b)   « The » cannot be omitted before « whole + noun in the singular ».

      -   The whole country was devastated by the hurricane.

      There you are... Now, you're ready to face the test.   Good luck and don't forget that ... THE FORCE IS WITH YOU...

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1. Cousins, nieces and nephews, all our families likeour whole family likewhole our family likesI don't know to meet once a year for Christmas.

2. I like all kinds musicwhole kinds of musicall kinds of musicI don't know but jazz is what I like better.

3. These are statistics for the all of Britainwhole of the Britainthe whole of BritainI don't know.

4. She danced through whole the nightall through the nightwhole through the nightI don't know and naturally, she's now exhausted.

5. Oh dear, I thought he'd eat some of the cake, but not the all itthe whole of itthe all of itI don't know!

6. You're right, her all jewelsall her jewelswhole the jewelsI don't know are beautiful, but not really valuable.

7. The whole English teamAll the English teamsThe all English teamI don't knowwas received like heroes when arriving at the airport.

8. The all excusesAll the excusesThe whole excusesI don't know she gave were lies and we all knewwe whole knewwhole we knewI don't know it.

9. With the latest hurricane, all these housesthese whole houseswhole these housesI don't know will have to be rebuilt. In fact, the all villagesall the villagesthe whole villageI don't know is devastated.

10. The tsunami washed away all the villages ofthe whole villages ofthe whole villagesI don't know this coastline.