Cool MateAll vs The whole of
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
All
High-frequency chunkA1determiner
The whole of
Top 2,000 (common)
Most common: All
| All | The whole of | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/ɔːl/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ɔːl/"]/ | 🇬🇧 //ðə həʊl əv//🇺🇸 //ðə hoʊl əv// |
| Meaning | Everything or everyone, without exception. | All of something; everything. |
| Example | All the students in the class passed the exam. | I read the whole of the book in one sitting. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | High-frequency chunk | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | A1 | - |
| Part of speech | determiner | |
| Collocations | all day, all the time, all over, all of us | the whole of the world, the whole of the team, the whole of the story |
| Antonyms | none, part, some | - |
| Common mistakes | 'All' used without a noun (e.g. saying 'I love all' instead of 'I love all of them')., Confused with 'all of' when it shouldn't be (e.g. 'All of the students came' is correct; 'All students came' is also correct in informal contexts). | Using 'whole' without 'of' in some contexts., Confusing with 'whole' used as an adjective without a noun., Misplacing 'the' before 'whole of' in sentences. |
| Usage notes | Use 'all' in both spoken and written English when referring to the entirety of a group. Avoid using 'all' when referring to a specific subset, as it implies inclusivity. | Used in both spoken and written English. It’s preferable in more formal contexts compared to informal speech. |
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Frequently asked questions: All vs The whole of
What's the difference between All and The whole of?
All: Everything or everyone, without exception. The whole of: All of something; everything.
Which is more common: All and The whole of?
All is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
All: All the students in the class passed the exam. The whole of: I read the whole of the book in one sitting.
Can I use All and The whole of interchangeably?
Not always. All and The whole of are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.