All (of)/ the whole (of)/ both (of)

ALL and ALL OF are used when talking about the total number of things or people in a group or the total amount of something:

• All (of) my brothers and sisters were at the airport to see me off.

• The baby seems to cry all (of) the time.

  • To make negative sentences with all we normally use not all, particularly in a formal style.

• Not all the seats were taken. (rather than All the seats were not taken.)

  • However, in spoken English we sometimes use all...not. We can also use none (of). But not all and none (of) have a different meaning. Compare:

• Not all my cousins were at the wedding. (= some of them were there)

• None of my cousins were at the wedding. (= not one of them was there)

  • Notice where we put all in the following sentences:

• We are all going to Athens during the vacation. (rather than We all are going...)

• They have all heard the news already. (rather than They all have heard...)

• All (of) their hard work had been of no use. (not Their all hard work...)

• These are all confidential files. (not These all are... - except in informal spoken English)

• I planted all four (of the) trees when I moved into the house.

  • In modern English all is not used without a noun to mean ‘everyone’ or ‘everything’:

    • Everyone was waiting to hear the results. (not All were waiting...)

• All can mean ‘everything’ when it is followed by a relative clause:

• I don’t agree with all that he said. (= everything that he said)

  • We can also use all without a noun to mean ‘the only thing’:

    • All she wants to do is help.

ALL (OF) THE and THE WHOLE (OF)

• Before singular countable nouns we usually use the whole (of) rather than all (of) the:

  • They weren’t able to stay for the whole concert. (rather than ....all (of) the concert.

  • The whole of the field was flooded. (rather than All (of) the field was flooded.)

However, in informal speech all (of) the is sometimes used in this way.

• Before plural nouns we can use all (of) or whole, but they have different meanings. Compare:

• All (of the) towns had their electricity cut off. (= every town in an area)

• After the storm, whole towns were left without electricity. (= some towns were completely affected)

BOTH (OF) and ALL (OF)

• when we want to talk about two things together we use both (of). Both (of) and all (of) are used in the same places in sentences.

  • Both (of) the houses have now been sold.

  • Are both of you (or Are you both) going to the conference?

  • I went on holiday with both of them (or ...with them both...) last year.

  • They have both finished their dinner. (rather than They both have finished...)

• We don’t usually make negative sentences with both (of). Instead we use neither (of). However, in informal speech both (of) is sometimes used in this way.

• Neither of them knew the answer. (rather than Both of them didn’t know the answer)

Exercise 21. Put all in the correct or most appropriate space in each sentence.

1. I’m pleased to say that you ..... have ..... passed the maths exam.

2. .......his.......papers had blown onto the floor.

3. I’ve known her.......my.......life.

4. We.......are.......going to have to work harder to get the job done.

5. When I opened the box of eggs, I found that they.......were.......broken.

6. She had to look after.......three of her brother’s.......children.

7. This is the moment we.......have.......been waiting for.

8. The jars.......were.......labelled ‘Home-made Jam’.

9. .......they.......seemed clever.

10. They.......were ....... very happy.

11. ‘Were .......they .......together?’ said Eleanor.

12. The meetings.......have ....... been in public places, without concealment.

13. I don’t care what ....... people ....... say, they.......can’t.......be bad.

14. .......it’s .......very boring.

15. They....... would .......be .......so happy there.

Exercise 22. Underline the correct or more likely alternative.

1. All the course /The whole course only lasts for six months.

2. In the 1950s, all of the families/ whole families, from grandparents to children, used to go to football matches on Saturday.

3. Because of the bad weather all of the schools/ whole schools in the city were forced to close.

4. All the plan / The whole plan is ridiculous. It will never succeed.

5. She must be exhausted. She was on stage all the performance / the whole performance.

6. All of the countries/ Whole countries in Africa have criticized the United Nations’ decision.

7. She never had power to conceal her passion, it always set her whole/ all her complexion in a blaze. (E. Bronte)

8. And that was all/ everything he said on the subject: he did not make a single inquiry further, nor mention her in any way, except directing me to send what property she had in the house to her fresh home, wherever it was, when I knew it. (E. Bronte)

9. My wife reads all/ every your books. (Robert B. Parker)

10. Bring all/ every of your friends.

11. I just want to get my bonus, that’s all/ everything.

12. All the town/ the whole town was shocked by her death.

13. I was off sick for whole weeks/ the whole of the week.

14. Give me all/ everything.

15. Give me all/ everything you’ve got.

16. All/ everything I’ve ever known was the troubles.

17. All/ everything is in order. (Jack Higgins)

Exercise 23. Put both in the correct or most appropriate space in each sentence.

1. We are wounded a little.

2. We can’t stay here together.

3. ‘Will you be silent?’ said Eleanor.

4. They are in their last year at Cambridge.

5. They remained there laughing and talking until two-thirty.

6. You see, they’re old.

7. They paused.

8. They have been waiting for an hour.

9. We were determined to play tennis.

10. They want you to come there presently and stay.

11. They passed him through the curtain opening.

12. We reached home before our dinner-time. (E. Bronte)

13. You and I are agreed on that.

14. Have you eaten those apples?

15. They look a bit strange.