Grammar
All, every, and whole
All the lights in the building are off. Every room is empty. The whole building is quiet. Each sentence describes completeness, but it looks at the situation in a different way.
Choose all, every, or whole by deciding whether you mean a group, each member of a group, or one complete thing.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
all, every, whole /ɔːl/, /ˈev.ri/, /həʊl/
The short answer
Use all for a complete group or amount, every before a singular countable noun when you mean each member, and whole for one complete thing or period, usually with the, a, or a possessive.
All the guests arrived, every table was ready, and the whole hall was full.
Why it works: All describes the guest group, every looks at each table, and whole describes one hall.
5 more examples
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All the windows were closed before the storm.
All includes the complete plural group of windows.
Not this:
Every windowwas closed before the storm. What changes: Every looks at the windows one at a time, so window is singular. -
Every visitor received a map at the entrance.
Visitor is singular because every refers to each person separately.
Not this:
All the visitorsreceived maps at the entrance. What changes: All describes the visitor group, so visitors is plural. -
We spent the whole afternoon preparing the room.
Whole describes one complete period. The comes before whole.
Not this:We spent
all afternoonpreparing the room. What changes: All can describe the complete period without the before the noun. -
She read the whole article on the train.
The article is one complete item, so whole is natural after the.
Not this:She read
all the articleson the train. What changes: All is used for the complete plural set of articles. -
All of us waited until the office opened.
Use all of before the object pronoun us.
Not this:
Every one of uswaited until the office opened. What changes: Every one of emphasizes each person in the group. It is different from every directly before a noun.
Read the full guide
Start with the noun. A plural group or an uncountable amount often follows all: all the files, all the water, or all of us. A singular countable noun follows every: every file, every visitor, or every morning. Whole normally comes before a singular countable noun with a determiner: the whole file, a whole day, or my whole life. The form reflects the meaning you want to show.
Choose the view of completeness
These words can all show that nothing is missing, but they organize the information differently. All looks at the complete group or amount. Every moves through the group one member at a time. Whole describes one item, place, or period as complete.
All the seats are occupied describes the seat group. Every seat is occupied focuses on each seat. The whole theatre is full describes one complete place.
Every drawer in the cabinet is locked.
You mean each of six doors separately. Complete the sentence: ___ door is locked.
Use every: Every door is locked.
Use all with groups and amounts
Use all with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns when you mean the complete group or amount. It often comes before the, a possessive, this, or these: all the chairs, all our notes, all this traffic. Before an object pronoun, use all of.
All the equipment is stored in the back room.
Equipment is uncountable, so all can describe the complete amount.
Choose the phrase before them: all them or all of them?
Use all of them. Use of before an object pronoun.
Use every with a singular countable noun
Put every directly before a singular countable noun. Even when there are many people or things, the noun stays singular because every considers each member separately. Say every page, every customer, and every week. Do not say every pages or every customers.
Every passenger needs a valid ticket.
Passenger is singular after every, although the sentence can apply to many passengers.
Complete the phrase: every ___ on the list. Use task or tasks.
Use task: every task on the list.
Use whole for one complete thing
Use whole when one thing or period is complete from beginning to end. Put a determiner before whole: the whole film, a whole morning, or my whole plan. Whole usually comes before a singular countable noun. It does not normally replace all before a plural group.
The whole village lost power during the storm.
Village is one complete place, and the comes before whole.
Choose the phrase for one complete book: the whole book or whole the book?
Use the whole book. The determiner comes before whole.
Compare all and whole with time
All and whole can both describe a complete period. Say all day, all week, or all morning. Say the whole day, the whole week, or the whole morning. The meaning is close, but whole needs the. Use every day when you mean each day in a repeated pattern, not one complete day.
I check the schedule every morning before work.
Every morning means each morning in a repeated routine. I worked all morning means one complete morning period.
Choose the phrase for a repeated daily habit: all day or every day?
Use every day for a habit that happens on each day.
Before you go
Remember this
Use all for a complete plural group, an uncountable amount, or a pronoun phrase with of. Use every before a singular countable noun when you mean each member. Use whole for one complete item or period, normally after a, the, or a possessive. Check whether your noun is a group, an individual member, or one complete thing.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "All, every, and whole"
What is the difference between all and every?
All describes a complete group or amount together, as in all the students or all the water. Every looks at each member separately and takes a singular countable noun: every student. Both can refer to the same large group, but they present it differently.
All the windows were closed before the storm.
Why is the noun singular after every?
Every considers one member at a time, even when the group contains many members. Use every page, every visitor, and every week. The singular noun is part of the grammar pattern after every.
Every window was closed before the storm.
When do I use all of?
Use all of before an object pronoun, such as all of us or all of them. It is also possible before a noun phrase with a determiner, such as all of the boxes. All the boxes is also common.
Every visitor received a map at the entrance.
What is the difference between all day and the whole day?
Both expressions can describe a complete day. All day does not need a determiner. Whole needs one, so say the whole day. Use every day when you mean a repeated habit on each day.
All the visitors received maps at the entrance.
Can I use whole with plural nouns?
Whole usually describes one complete singular thing or period: the whole book, a whole week, or our whole plan. For a complete plural group, use all: all the books, all the weeks, or all our plans.
We spent the whole afternoon preparing the room.