Whole or All? Exercise 1
B1–B2 · IntermediateWhole and all are closely related in meaning but follow different grammatical patterns — and mixing them up is a surprisingly common mistake. This exercise gives you practice choosing between them across a range of sentence types.
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1. I've been waiting for you my _____ life.
Correct answer: whole
2. _____ my life I've been waiting for the perfect ESL teacher.
Correct answer: All
3. The storm destroyed _____ neighborhoods of the city.
Correct answer: whole
4. She spent _____ day with her new boyfriend.
Correct answer: the whole
5. The _____ time she was in France, she never bought a baguette.
Correct answer: whole
6. He thinks that _____ the people in this city are poor.
Correct answer: all
7. _____ town was destroyed by the tornado.
Correct answer: The whole
8. I can't believe I ate _____ salad.
Correct answer: the whole
9. I can't believe that I ate _____ strawberries.
Correct answer: all the
10. I've traveled across _____ Germany.
Correct answer: all of
Grammar review
Whole vs All
Both words express totality but work differently:
WHOLE — used with singular countable nouns; comes after the article or possessive:
Structure: article/possessive + whole + singular noun
I’ve been waiting ______ life. (my ______ life = the complete span of one’s life)
ALL — used with plural or uncountable nouns; comes before the article or possessive:
Structure: all + article/possessive + noun
She ate ______ the pizza. (every bit of it)
Key distinction:
the ______ cake (one entire cake — singular, countable) → use the singular-focused word
______ the children (every child in a group — plural) → use the quantity-focused word
Note: When the noun is singular and countable, only one of these works. When the noun is uncountable or plural, only the other works. There is rarely any ambiguity if you apply the structural rules.
Both words express totality but work differently:
WHOLE — used with singular countable nouns; comes after the article or possessive:
Structure: article/possessive + whole + singular noun
I’ve been waiting ______ life. (my ______ life = the complete span of one’s life)
ALL — used with plural or uncountable nouns; comes before the article or possessive:
Structure: all + article/possessive + noun
She ate ______ the pizza. (every bit of it)
Key distinction:
the ______ cake (one entire cake — singular, countable) → use the singular-focused word
______ the children (every child in a group — plural) → use the quantity-focused word
Note: When the noun is singular and countable, only one of these works. When the noun is uncountable or plural, only the other works. There is rarely any ambiguity if you apply the structural rules.
KEEP PRACTICING — MORE EXERCISES FOR YOU:
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Either/or, neither/nor, too 1 (B1/B2)
Fewer or less? 1 (B1/B2)
Some or any? 1 (B1/B2)
Some or any? 2 (A2/B1)
More, most, or the most? 1 (B1/B2)
More, most, or the most? 2 (B1/B2)
Other, another, or different? 1 (B2/C1)
Related article exercises:
A or the? 1 (A1/A2)
A or the? 2 (A1/A2)
Article or no article? 1 (A2/B1)
Article or no article? 2 (A2/B2)
Article or no article? 3 (A2/B2)
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More quantifier exercises:
Either/or, neither/nor, too 1 (B1/B2)
Fewer or less? 1 (B1/B2)
Some or any? 1 (B1/B2)
Some or any? 2 (A2/B1)
More, most, or the most? 1 (B1/B2)
More, most, or the most? 2 (B1/B2)
Other, another, or different? 1 (B2/C1)
Related article exercises:
A or the? 1 (A1/A2)
A or the? 2 (A1/A2)
Article or no article? 1 (A2/B1)
Article or no article? 2 (A2/B2)
Article or no article? 3 (A2/B2)
Articles with geographic names 1 (B1/B2)
Browse all grammar exercises →
