Error #38 – All / Whole / Every

Error #38 – All / Whole / Every

Don’t say: “I invited all the class.”

Say: “I invited the entire class.”
(more formal)

Or: “I invited the whole class.”
(more informal)

Use "every" with singular, countable nouns:

• I exercise every day.
  = Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
• Every student in the class has a computer.
• Every necklace in this store costs more than $1,000.

Use "all" with plural countable nouns OR with uncountable nouns to mean 100% of many things:

• All of this equipment is new.
  = many pieces of equipment
• All the students in the class have computers.
• All the necklaces in this store are expensive.

Use "whole" or "entire" with uncountable or singular countable nouns to mean 100% of one thing:

• I ate the whole pizza.
  = 100% of one pizza.
• I finished reading the entire book in three days.
  =100% of one book.

Here are more examples that show the difference between all and whole:

• I ate the whole cake.
  = 100% of one cake.
   
• I ate all the cakes.
  = 100% of many cakes
   
• The whole apple is rotten.
  = 100% of one apple.
   
• All the fruit is rotten.
  = 100% of many apples, bananas, grapes, etc.

100 Common Errors in English: