Each vs Every, All vs Whole
Level B1 · Articles & Determiners
each, every, all, and whole all talk about a complete group, but they draw the boundary differently. each and every both mean 'every single one', but each treats the members separately (thinking of them one by one), while every treats them as a general rule or pattern (thinking of the group as a whole, without singling anyone out). all and whole both mean 'the complete amount', but all counts the individual parts (all the students = every student, seen as a set), while whole treats something as one single, undivided thing (the whole class = the class as one entity).
Each of these words has its own grammar:
- each/every + singular noun + singular verb: Each student has a locker; Every window was closed. (never each students or every windows)
- each can stand alone or be followed by of + a determiner + plural noun: Each of the students has a locker (not each of student).
- every cannot stand alone and is never followed by of — every is always directly attached to its noun: every student, not every of the students.
- all + plural noun (no of before a general plural) or all of + determiner + noun: All students must register; All of the students passed.
- whole + singular noun, usually with a determiner (the/a/my) before whole: the whole class, a whole day, my whole life — never the class whole or whole the class.
The most common mistake is using every with of — every of the students is wrong; every never takes of, so it's either every student or each of the students. A second frequent error: placing whole in the wrong position — the class whole and whole class (with no article) are both usually wrong; whole normally sits between the article and the noun: the whole class.
Look for each/every directly before a singular noun (each never with a bare plural, every never with of), each of/all of + determiner + plural noun, and whole sitting between an article and a singular noun (the whole, a whole, my whole) — always describing one undivided thing rather than a set of separate parts.