🧠 TOEIC Trap: All vs Whole — Group or One Complete Thing?

You hear:

All the team members are here.
The whole team is here.

They both sound fine.
They both mean “everyone is here.”
But TOEIC will make you choose — and only one matches the structure.

🎯 Why TOEIC Wins This Point

This isn’t about the meaning of “all” and “whole.”
It’s about how the sentence is built.

  • All → plural nouns or uncountable nouns.

  • The whole → one single, countable thing.

TOEIC hides this in natural-sounding sentences and waits for you to guess by feel.

💣 The One-Second Trigger

Ask:

“Is the noun plural/uncountable, or is it one single thing?”

  • Plural / uncountable → all

  • One single thing → the whole

👇 Watch It in Action

✅ Correct

All the projects were delayed.
(Projects = plural) → all

✅ Correct

The whole project was delayed.
(Project = one thing) → the whole

✅ Correct

All the information was helpful.
(Information = uncountable) → all

✅ Correct

The whole report was rewritten.
(Report = one complete thing) → the whole

🧪 TOEIC-Style Practice

___ team is ready for the presentation.
🧠 Team = one unit → the whole

___ the projects were delayed due to budgeting issues.
🧠 Projects = plural → all

___ the feedback was very positive.
🧠 Feedback = uncountable → all

We reviewed ___ report carefully.
🧠 Report = one thing → the whole

📝 Your Turn

Fill each blank with all or the whole.
Use the one-second check: plural/uncountable → all / single thing → the whole.

  1. ___ company voted to change the logo.

  2. ___ of the documents are now online.

  3. They cleaned ___ apartment in two hours.

  4. ___ employees were required to sign the form.

Answer Key + Coaching

  1. ✅ the whole — company = one unit

  2. ✅ all — documents = plural

  3. ✅ the whole — apartment = single thing

  4. ✅ all — employees = plural

🔁 Takeaway Rule

Don’t pick by sound — pick by structure.

  • Plural or uncountable → all

  • One single, complete thing → the whole

Final Word

This trap is all about the shape of the noun.
Spot whether it’s a group of things or one complete unit — and you’ll never give away the point again.

For more strategies and resources to master TOEIC word-choice traps, visit the English Library Collection and start locking in sentence-structure confidence today.

🧠 SEO FAQ — All vs Whole What is the difference between “all” and “whole”? “All” is used with plurals or uncountable things. “Whole” is used with one complete thing. When should I use “all”? Use “all” when talking about multiple people or things, or something uncountable. Example: All employees arrived early. When should I use “whole”? Use “whole” when talking about one single item that is complete. Example: The whole report was rewritten. Can I use “all” and “whole” in the same sentence? Yes, but they focus on different things. Example: All the parts of the machine were checked. The whole machine was tested. Why is “all vs whole” confusing in TOEIC? Because they both mean “complete,” but the sentence structure is different. You must choose based on the noun type. Can I say “all the day”? No. Use “the whole day” instead. “Day” is a single unit → use “whole.” Can I say “whole employees”? No. Use “all employees.” “Employees” is plural → use “all.” Is “all” used with uncountable nouns? Yes. Example: All the information was useful. Can “whole” be used with uncountable nouns? No. “Whole” is used with countable, singular nouns only. How do I know which one to choose on TOEIC? Look at the noun. If it’s plural or uncountable → use “all.” If it’s one single countable thing → use “the whole.”
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