on the whole

IPA/ɒnðə hˈəʊl/
IPA/ɔnðə hˈoʊl/

on the whole — 慣用語

1. used to express a general judgment about a situation after you have taken all th

1.慣用語B1
釋義

大致上

綜合各方面後得出的整體判斷

used to express a general judgment about a situation after you have taken all the different facts or opinions into account, rather than focusing on one detail or exception.

例句

On the whole, the staff at the Grand Hotel provided friendly service throughout our stay.

總體來說，Grand Hotel 的員工在我們住宿期間提供了親切的服務。

discourse marker at start of sentence

The museum exhibit had empty rooms, but on the whole visitors gave positive feedback.

博物館展覽有空蕩蕩的展廳，但總體來說訪客給予了正面評價。

contrast pattern: concession + 'but on the whole' + main point

同義詞
  • all things considered

    slightly more formal; often used in writing to sum up an argument

  • by and large

    common in British English and slightly informal; carries the same summarizing meaning

  • for the most part

    focuses on the majority of cases rather than a holistic assessment

  • in general

    more direct and neutral; lacks the nuance of weighing pros and cons

文法句型

on the whole + clause

用法筆記

Commonly used to introduce a balanced concluding opinion after acknowledging both positive and negative points. It can appear at the beginning of a sentence or clause, or after a concession (as in '… but on the whole …').

常見錯誤

❌On whole, the movie was good.
✅On the whole, the movie was good.
💡The definite article 'the' is always part of this idiom and cannot be dropped.
❌On the whole day, I stayed at home.
✅I stayed at home the whole day.
💡'On the whole' does not mean 'during the entire period'; it is a discourse marker meaning 'generally considering everything.'