Today we will review three new Expressions. After all, All of a sudden, and Better off. Review the definitions below and then look at the 3 example sentences for each expression. After reviewing the information, try to make your own examples for each expression.
| EXPRESSION | MEANING |
|---|---|
| After all | In spite of considerations or expectations |
| All of a sudden | Very quickly in usually an unexpected way |
| Better off | To be in a more advantageous position |
AFTER ALL
| # | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|
| 1 | It looks like Matthew will go to medical school after all. |
| 2 | Don't worry. After all, he will leave tomorrow. |
| 3 | Of course we were afraid. After all, he was a prisoner. |
ALL OF A SUDDEN
| # | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|
| 1 | All of a sudden the lights started to flash in the room. |
| 2 | All of a sudden we heard a loud boom. |
| 3 | All of a sudden she screamed at the man standing in front of her. |
BETTER OFF
| # | EXAMPLES |
|---|---|
| 1 | They would be better off going home early. |
| 2 | We would all be better off just saving money and going back home. |
| 3 | I know I'd be better off with him, but I can't tell him. |
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“Of course we were afraid. After all, he was a prisoner.” Does this mean that we looked at least not afraid on the outside? And although he didn’t look all that manacing and we treated him like anybody else, the fact that he was a prisoner scared us on the inside?
No, this means that the fear was “written all over their faces”. It is just a way of reiterating that point. Also, the person may have asked them if they were scared. Then, their response would be, “Of course we were afraid. After all, he was a prisoner.”
The idiom means in spite of consideration or expectation. What consideration does the speaker mean? In spite of the fact he is a prisoner? In spite of the fact that he doesn’t look like a prisoner? It’s so confusing. Thank you for your patient reply.
The free worksheets include more explanations – including extra definitions – that make it easier to understand the expressions. But, I can explain it to you here. In this example, the person they are speaking to may have expected them “not to be afraid”. However, “in spite of their expectation” or “contrary to their expectation”, the individual was scared because he was a prisoner.
For example, you expected your friend to arrive on time. But, he/she arrived 20 minutes late. You were upset because he/she was late. So, when your friend arrived you expressed your anger. However, your friend said, “I know you expected me to be here on time, but I wasn’t able to get here any faster. So I was late. After all, it was raining hard outside.”
Will I have the freeworksheets? As you said, I think I’ll understand the usage better with them.
Reading your last explanation made me realize that it is not the speaker’s considerations or expectations, but the listener’s .
Yes, the free worksheets should be in your inbox now. They go out every Sunday evening, but I forwarded you a copy.
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All of a sudden, the smoke detector starts to sound
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Hi