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What does “all of a sudden” mean?
Meaning, example sentences and a quick practice question.
B2
Suddenly, without warning
“All of a sudden, the lights went out.”
Say it smoothly: “a-lo-va-sudden”
From the B2 lesson You'll Never Guess… (telling news).
B2
Very quickly and unexpectedly
“All of a sudden, the lights went out.”
From the B2 lesson Stories from the Road (telling travel stories).
Quick check
What does “all of a sudden” mean?
Teaching this phrase?“all of a sudden” is part of a ready-to-teach lesson, with a reading, three exercises, speaking tasks and an answer key, in Everyday English Chunks B2 Pack 2 (Plans, Problems and Feelings).
See the B2 lesson pack
See the B2 lesson pack
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Teaching this phrase?“all of a sudden” is part of a ready-to-teach lesson, with a reading, grammar practice, travel phrases, speaking tasks and an answer key, in the B2 Travel English Bundle (6 lessons).
See the Travel English bundle
See the Travel English bundle
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Related phrases
- out of the bluesuddenly and unexpectedly
- next thing I knewused to describe something sudden happening in a story
- it turned outused to reveal how something eventually happened
- to cut a long story shortused to summarize a story, skipping the details
- funnily enoughused to introduce something slightly surprising or coincidental
- in the endused to describe the final result of a situation
- as it happensused to introduce a coincidence
- believe it or notused to introduce something surprising but true
- guess whatused to introduce exciting or surprising news
- You'll never guess what happened!a lively way to start a story
- It all started when …how to begin the main part of a story
- as it turned outused to say what was true in the end, often a surprise