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