English — all / whole / every
"all", "whole" and "every" all express totality, but they differ in structure and register. "all day" and "the whole day" mean the same, while "every day" means each separate day. Note also "we all" and "all of us".
How it works
Use "all (the)" before a plural or uncountable noun ("all the students", "all information"), or "all of" before a pronoun or determiner ("all of them", "all of my time"). "the whole" goes before a singular countable noun ("the whole day", "the whole book"). "every" takes a singular noun and stresses each separate member ("every student", "every day"). With a subject pronoun, "all" comes after it: "we all", "they all left".
Examples
| Form / example | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| all the students passed | all + (the) + plural noun — the total group |
| all of them agreed | all of + pronoun/determiner — needed before a pronoun |
| it rained all day | all + time noun (no article) — for the entire period |
| it rained the whole day | the whole + singular noun — same meaning as "all day" |
| I go there every day | every + singular noun — each separate day, a habit |
| everybody / everyone knows | "every-" compound + singular verb — all people as one whole |
| we all went home | pronoun + all — "all" follows a subject pronoun |
Good to know
Don't put "all" directly before a pronoun: not "all them" but "all of them". "whole" is not normally used with uncountable nouns — say "all the money", not "the whole money". And "every" always takes a singular verb: "everybody is here", not "everybody are here".