All vs Whole with singular nouns

[Atari pitfall]

Context:

The Cambridge dictionary says:

We use the whole or the whole of to refer to complete single things and events that are countable and defined:

The whole performance was disappointing from start to finish

In other words, what would be these " singles things and events" ? I truly couldn't understand. It's very vague.



In addition, the Cambridge dic also says:

When we can split up a thing into parts, we can use either whole or all with the same meaning:

You don’t have to pay the whole (of the) bill at once.
You don’t have to pay all (of) the bill at once.

How, for example, can an electricity bill be slipped up? Isn't it one thing? I can't imagine myslef splitting up a bill.


Thank you, people.

 

[emsr2d2]

When we "split a bill" (note that it's not "split up a bill"), we share the cost between two or more people. For example, if four people live in one house and this month's electricity bill is £200, they could split it and pay £50 each.

If you're told you don't have to pay the whole bill at once, it means you can pay just part of it now and pay the rest later.

 

[5jj]

In other words, what would be these " singles things and events" ? I truly couldn't understand. It's very vague.

The single thing or event is the performance.

When we can split up a thing into parts, we can use either whole or all with the same meaning:

The bill for the reconstruction of my mother's house was split up into several parts: demolition, foundations, east wing and west wing. We paid for each part separately on completion.

 

[emsr2d2]

To be fair to the OP, I don't the Cambridge Dictionary's first example is very helpful. Adding "from start to finish" at the end means that "whole" is unnecessary. It would make more sense to say one of the following:

The whole performance was disappointing.
The performance was disappointing from start to finish.

Both sentences emphasise that there was not a single part of the performance that wasn't disappointing.

Saying "The performance was disappointing" leaves open the possibility that a few parts of it were OK, good even, but the overall impression (as far as the speaker/writer is concerned at least) was "disappointing".

 

[Atari pitfall]

(note that it's not "split up a bill"

Cambridge uses the phrasal "split up". So would they be wrong?

So while the "electric bill" is just one thing, the context refers to something that can be slipped, right? As you have said:

if four people live in one house and this month's electricity bill is £200, they could split it and pay £50 each.

 

[emsr2d2]

Cambridge uses the phrasal "split up". So would Are they be wrong?

You can split up a lot of things but we don't usually use it to refer to a bill. Having said that, 5jj gave an example of how it can be used when a bill total is made up a selection of smaller bills.

 

[Atari pitfall]

I think I understand.

Would be right if I said:

"The restaurant bill was split up between everyone."?

The bill was:

3x Ham and cheese sandwiches
6x French fries

 

[emsr2d2]

No. As I explained in post #2, in that context we simply "split the bill". We do not "split up the bill". It doesn't matter how many different dishes appear on the bill. It's just one bill.
Here are some examples when talking about a restaurant bill:

I've asked the waiter to bring the bill. Shall we split it?
I don't want to split the bill. I'm happy to pay for everyone's food.
Do you want to split the bill? I think we all had roughly the same.

 

[Barque]

Would be right if I said:

"The restaurant bill was split up between everyone."?

The bill was split by everyone.
More natural: We all split the bill.

 

[Tarheel]

@Atari pitfall Say:

Would it be right if I said, "The restaurant bill was split up between everyone"?

Just one ending punctuation mark, please!

 

[Tdol]

Cambridge uses the phrasal "split up". So would they be wrong?

They don't use it with the bill. They use it in the definition.

 

[Ms. Worth]

Context:

The Cambridge dictionary says:

We use the whole or the whole of to refer to complete single things and events that are countable and defined:

The whole performance was disappointing from start to finish

In other words, what would be these " singles things and events" ? I truly couldn't understand. It's very vague.

Some "single things"
One watermelon -- "The whole watermelon was too much for my family, so we split it with my sister's kids."
A bicycle -- "After Michelle ran off the road into the ditch, the whole bicycle was covered in sticky mud."
A shirt -- "The whole shirt smelled like paint thinner by the time Robbie finished painting the kitchen cabinets."
A book -- "The whole book -- from the first word to the last -- was thrilling ."

Some "single events"
Watching a movie -- "Watching the whole movie would have made me fall asleep, so I paused it until the next evening."
Listening to a lecture -- "Listening to the whole lecture -- instead of its small subtopics -- showed me the flow of the history of the Civil War."
Going on a date -- "I told him I didn't like scary movies and I didn't want to grab a pizza. The whole date was a disaster from start to finish."
Eating breakfast -- "My kid brother had eaten the whole breakfast before I even came down to the kitchen,"

In addition, the Cambridge dic also says:

When we can split up a thing into parts, we can use either whole or all with the same meaning:

You don’t have to pay the whole (of the) bill at once.
You don’t have to pay all (of) the bill at once.

How, for example, can an electricity bill be slipped up? Isn't it one thing? I can't imagine myslef splitting up a bill.


Thank you, people.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

The date was a disaster from start to finish.

And:
.
After Michelle ran off road into a ditch the bicycle was covered in mud.