All, whole, either, neither, both, none

We use whole most often with singular countable nouns.

We use all most often with uncountable & plural nouns.

a whole plate- all the food

a whole concert- all the music

the whole orchestra- all the musicians

Before place names, we most often use the whole of

the whole of Europe

All (of) can be used with a noun or pronoun.

All is not used without a noun or pronoun to mean ‘’everybody.’’

All the people were tired.

Everybody was tired.

All can be used to mean ‘’everything’’ or ‘’the only thing’’, but only with a relative clause (all that).

She gave me all/everything (that) she had.

All (that) I want is a place of my own.

The thieves took everything.(Not The thieves took all.)

Both refers to two objects or human beings & has a positive meaning, takes a verb in the plural.

I have two friends. Both of them are students.

Either (anyone of two) refers to two objects or human beings & is used before a singular countable noun, takes a verb either in the singular or plural.

Do you want tea or coffee?- I don’t mind either.

Neither refers to two objects or human beings takes a verb either in the singular or plural.

He has two shirts, but neither of them is blue.

None refers to more than two objects or human beings. It has a negative meaning & isn’t followed by a noun. It takes a verb either in the singular or in the plural.

I have many friends. None of them can speak English.

I have many friends, but none of them have (has) a car.

Exercises

Ex. 1. Put in all/everything/everybody.

1. They say … in the world is good for something. 2. He who praises … praises nobody. 3. … said the same things. 4. Not … my friends approved what I did. 5. Life is like nothing, because it is …. 6. Goodbye …. – I’ll see you next week. 7. Don’t worry, … is ready for the meeting. 8. He may be responsible for many of the problems, but you can’t blame him for …. 9. … the people were tired & went to bed early. 10. … involved in the accident has been questioned by the police. 11. We … know it. Why aren’t you aware of this fact? 12. … depends on what happens at the next week’s meeting. 13. … the students came to the lecture on time. 14. … in favour of this proposal, please raise your hand. 15. We are … glad to see you again. 16. … I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman & a pretty girl. 17. I hurry to laugh at …, for fear of having to cry. 18. I can resist … except temptation. 19. You can only have power over people so long as you don’t take … away from them. 20. A cynic knows the price of … & the value of nothing.

Ex. 2. Complete these sentences with all, everything, everybody, the whole.

1. She is very kind. … likes her. 2. They did … they could to help us. … was very kind to us. 3. Jill doesn’t do any of the housework. Her husband does … . 4. Janet told me … about her trip to Spain. Spain is a wonderful country. 5. He is a great scientist. He devoted his … life to the development of science. 6. I didn’t spend much money in the shops. … I bought was a pair of gloves. 7. Why are you always thinking about food? Food isn’t …. 8. He didn’t say where he was going. … he said was that he was going away. 9. … has got their faults. Nobody is perfect. 10. He opened a tin of sardines. When he finished eating there were no sardines left. He ate … tin of sardines. 11. He read the book from beginning to end. He read … book. 12. … in our family plays the piano. The … family likes music. 13. It rained from the beginning of the week to the end. It rained … week. 14. Nothing was left of the building after the fire. … building is to be reconstructed. 15. … in the team played well. 16. We’ve redecorated … rooms of the house. … house looks new.

Ex. 3. Translate into English.

1. Все мы играем в школе в футбол и волейбол. 2. Они обыскали весь дом. 3. Он выдумал всю эту историю с начала до конца. 4. Все стены зала были увешаны старинным оружием. 5. Вся книга была разорвана. 6. У нас есть все основания не соглашаться с этим. 7. Все присутствующие должны расписаться здесь. 8. Все здание было разрушено взрывом. 9. Все леса в этом районе были вырублены (cut down). 10. Я сдаю свою одежду в химчистку раз в два месяца.

Ex. 4. Join the sentences with both…and or neither…nor according to the model.

Model : He repairs cars. He repairs motorbikes. – He repairs both cars & motorbikes.

1. He doesn’t speak English. He doesn’t speak French. 2. I don’t like her. I don’t dislike her. 3. I admire him. I distrust him. 4. Paul is on holiday. Sally is on holiday. 5. The secretary didn’t have the file. The accountant didn’t have the file. 6. The play was funny. The play was shocking. 7. He collects paintings. He collects jewellery. 8. You are not right. You are not wrong. 9. She didn’t look at me. She didn’t say anything.

Ex. 5. Complete these sentences with both/neither/either, using of if necessary.

1. Ed and Jim were … big men. 2. These are very gloomy rooms. I’m afraid … will suit me. 3. There are two ways to the city centre. You can go along the footpath by the river or you can go along the main road. You can go … way. 4. … those pullovers were very nice. The problem was that she liked … them. She didn’t know which one to choose. 5. … my parents is English. My father is Polish and my mother is Italian. 6. “Which of the two newspapers would you like?” “Oh, … will do.” 7. “Is today the 18^th or the 19^th?” – “… . It’s the 20^th.” 8. By that time … his sisters had got married. 9. When the boat started to sink, we were really frightened because … us could swim.

Ex. 6. Make sentences with “both…and”, “neither…nor”, and “either…or...” using the words in brackets.

1. We didn’t like the hotel. It was (clean/comfortable). 2. I didn’t like the film. It was (boring/long). 3. I couldn’t remember his name. He was (Robert/Richard). 4. I wasn’t able to go on holiday that year. I had (time/money). 5. We have tickets for Saturday or Sunday concert. Which do you prefer? – I don’t care, I can go (on Saturday/on Sunday). 6. He is an ideal husband. He (smoke/drink).

Ex. 7. Use both, either or neither in the following sentences.

1. There is a forest of oak trees on … bank of the river. 2. The man carried a suitcase in … hands. 3. The veranda stretched on … side of me. 4. The first apple-pie of the season was on the table and a large dish of purple grapes. Muriel was too angry to touch …. 5. I could hear them …, but saw …. 6. … of the two could sing. 7. … of them was of the same opinion. 8. … his legs were broken in the accident. 9. You may take … of the two dictionaries, but not … of them. 10. She had brown shining hair which hung down on … sides of her face. 11. “What are you going to have, orange juice or Coke?” – “…, I’m not thirsty.” 12. “Which job are you going to take?” – “I’m afraid ….” 13. Nick and Tom are … my friends. But … is in the town now. 14. “… the jars, the big one and the small one, are empty. You can take … of them.” – “I’m afraid … will do.”

Ex. 8. Insert every/each or either.

1. … day he comes here, and … time he asks me the same questions. 2. There was a huge building on … side of the square, … having a massive arched gate. 3. There were huge buildings on … side of the street and … had rows of balconies as its only decoration. 4. Which would you prefer, the Webster or the Oxford dictionary? – … will do. Thank you. 5. He shook hands and had a few minutes’ talk with … of us.

Ex. 9. Translate into English.

1. Они ехали по широкой дороге, по обе стороны которой росли деревья. 2. Оба, я и мой брат, были молоды и сильны. 3. Передай это сообщение папе или маме, боюсь, я не увижу ни того, ни другого. 4. Ты не можешь взять с собой оба моих фотоаппарата. 5. Они оба служат в армии. 6. Она либо очень больна, либо ушла. В любом случае мы не можем открыть дверь. 7. Каждую минуту мальчик выглядывал в окно. 8. Я помню каждый дом на нашей улице. 9. Двое из них не смогли прийти, но каждый имел серьезную причину. 10. Они осматривали каждый экспонат в музее с большим интересом. 11. В гостинице есть две свободные комнаты, можете занять любую. 12. В каждом конце коридора была дверь. 13. Какую мне взять книгу, я не читал ни ту, ни другую. – Возьмите любую, обе интересные.

Ex. 10. Insert all, both, several.

1. We showed them … pictures of our beautiful country. 2. There is a forest of fine birch-trees on … banks of the river. 3. Not … of them know our country. 4. … wanted to see Sigulda. 5. … Jack & Tom were in Russia for the first time. 6. We had to repeat some songs … times. 7. … the guests were glad of what they had seen. 8. … of them could sing. 9. … boys had cameras with them & they took photos..

Ex. 11. Choose the appropriate word either/any/neither/none.

1. There are many good inns in Scotland. While travelling, you may stay in … of them. 2. I saw 2 plays in this theatre, but … of them impressed me. Rita says she saw several plays there, but she liked … of them. 3. John & Peter did not pass am exam yesterday because … was ready for it. 4. The Pinns’ sisters are arriving tomorrow. … of the girls is very beautiful, but … of them is married yet. 5. There are a few cafes in this district, but … of them is good. 6. What would you prefer, tea or coffee? – … will do. 7. The woman carried a bag in … hand. 8. Thee were 4 applicants but … of them impressed me. 9. There is a village on … bank of the river. 10. Can he speak French or German? – … .He is not good at languages.

Ex. 12. Fill in with the forms is/are.

1. Neither he nor she … there. 2. Neither they nor she … there. 3. Neither he nor they … there. 4. Both Alice & Kate … in time. 5. Either you or she … right. 6. Both the old & the young … having a good time at the party. 7. Either Jack or Jane … going on business to London. 8. Neither Pete nor his parents … aware of the coming danger. 9. Neither he nor his relatives … present at the wedding. 10. Either he or they … going to do it. 11. Both Mom & Dad … at home. 12. Neither Nick nor Mary … in class today. 13. Both … present, but neither … helpful.

Ex. 13. Translate into English.

1. Оба были готовы помочь ей, но ни один не знал, как это сделать. 2. По обе стороны реки был лес. 3. У меня 2 сумки: одна чёрная, а другая коричневая. 4. Ни Тома, ни его родителей нет дома. 5. Всё, что она хочет – это ещё одного ребёнка. 6. Фиона и я пошли в театр. Мы обе получили огромное удовольствие. 7. Ни одна из девочек не была готова к экзамену. 8. Вам бы лучше просмотреть весь контракт, прежде чем вы его подпишите. 9. Ни Сэм, ни Дэвид не учили физику в школе. 10. Я закончил всё упражнение за 5 минут.