All, Every, Whole

Every, whole and all are determiners.

Every focuses on all parts that make up the whole thing. It means each one. It is used with singular nouns.

Sentence structure:
Every + singular noun

Examples:

I go to school every day.
Every student has to stay in the classroom.
Every bottle has to be filled with water.

Whole and all express the entire amount of something. Although the same in meaning, they are used differently.

We use ‘all’ with plural countable or uncountable nouns.

Sentence structure:
All + the + noun

Examples:

All the students are in the classroom.
I ate all the pies.
All the ice melted.

We use ‘whole’ mostly with singular countable nouns and sometimes with uncountable nouns too before a possessive adjective or the article ‘the’.

Sentence structure:
The + whole + noun.

Examples:

I love the whole idea.
I ate the whole pie.
He is renting the whole apartment.

All vs Whole

I ate all the pies. = I ate 100% of all the pies.
I ate the whole pie. = I ate 100% of one pie.

Note: We cannot use whole with plural countable nouns.

Example:
Did you pay the whole bills? – incorrect

Did you pay all the bills? – correct

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