'Whole' vs 'Whole of'

‘The whole’ means a complete thing made of several parts, while ‘the whole of’ means all of something.

1. Whole: a complete thing made of several parts;
2. Whole of: all of something.

Here is when to use ‘the whole’ and when to use ‘the whole of’:

The whole

We use ‘the whole’ with common nouns and to talk about quantity.

Sometimes ‘the whole’ can also be a noun.

The whole of

We usually use ‘the whole of’ with non-physical objects and with proper nouns (names).

Sometimes they can be, but not always. According to Practical English Usage by Michael Swan, before proper nouns (names) and pronouns we should use the whole of, and not whole. Example: The whole of London was under snow. (not whole London)

Examples of ‘whole’:

• the whole pie
• the whole day
• the whole time
• the whole world
• the whole story

Examples of ‘the whole of’:

• the whole of India
• the whole of September
• the whole of mankind
• the whole of my life
• the whole of the country
• the whole of Europe