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"alright" vs "all right"


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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
how to use the words "however" and "though" | supraregional?
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"alright" vs "all right" Thu May 22, 2008 20:02 pm  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Hi,
I've read in many dictionaries that "alright" is considered by many people to be incorrect and should not be used. However when I searched in the BNC, "alright" turned out with more results than "all right".
Have you any ideas about this?

Regards
Nessie
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"alright" vs "all right" Thu May 22, 2008 20:16 pm  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Hi,

Old conservatives like me prefer 'all right' but it is becoming more and more common for people to use 'alright'. This has happened to (all ready) 'already' and (all ways) 'always'.

Alan
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"alright" vs "all right" Thu May 22, 2008 20:50 pm  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Hi Alan,
Thanks for the interesting information about "all ready" => "already" and "all ways" => "always" Smile

And I don't think you are conservative at all Smile (when you accept the use of "and" at the beginning of a sentence) Smile
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"alright" vs "all right" Fri May 23, 2008 5:09 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

When my father was a child, he was taught to write "to-day" and "to-morrow", but those have now been merged into single words, "today" and "tomorrow". These changes happen over time.

The restriction against using "and" or "but" at the beginning of a sentence was mainly contrived for children, so that they would learn to write full sentences instead of fragments. Once we're adults, we can judiciously begin full sentences with those conjunctions, and good writers have done so for centuries.
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"alright" vs "all right" Fri May 23, 2008 16:38 pm  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Thanks for your idea, Jamie
And another question has arisen in my mind: Is the use of "and" or "but" at the beginning of a sentence acceptable in formal/academic writings?

Many thanks in advance
Nessie.
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"alright" vs "all right" Fri May 23, 2008 16:40 pm  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Yes, if it's done correctly. The trick is understanding how to do it correctly.
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"alright" vs "all right" Fri May 23, 2008 16:44 pm  "alright" vs "all right"
 

If young, alright's alright, for many.

Often heard as "awright" in parts of Britain.
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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 0:11 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Molly wrote:
If young

In fact, "alright" is recorded from 1893; and so is older than "Mom", "frankfurter", "semantic", and "psychoanalysis".

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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 0:14 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Indeed it may be, but my point was that, mostly, I only hear old/older people complaining about "alright". And it only pips "semantic" by one year.
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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 0:19 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

What do the young/younger people complain about?

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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 0:23 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Mostly, prescriptivists and acne?
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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 0:50 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Molly wrote:
Indeed it may be, but my point was that, mostly, I only hear old/older people complaining about "alright". And it only pips "semantic" by one year.

But it's been the older people complaining about that generation after generation.
Jamie (K)
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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 0:52 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Jamie (K) wrote:
But it's been the older people complaining about that generation after generation.

Age, eh?
Molly
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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 2:08 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Molly wrote:
Jamie (K) wrote:
But it's been the older people complaining about that generation after generation.

Age, eh?

People prone to being priggish tend to find more reasons to be still more priggish the older they get. However, I know people in their 20s who've got 'em all beat.
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"alright" vs "all right" Sat May 24, 2008 2:17 am  "alright" vs "all right"
 

Jamie (K) wrote:
People prone to being priggish tend to find more reasons to be still more priggish the older they get. However, I know people in their 20s who've got 'em all beat.

Age before beauty, eh? Very Happy
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