All of a sudden
Example: All of a sudden, the lights went out during dinner.
Definition
"All of a sudden" is an expression used to describe something happening very quickly and unexpectedly, often without warning. It indicates a sudden change or event, like in the phrase: All of a sudden, the lights went out during dinner.
Etymology
The phrase "all of a sudden" originates from the notion of something occurring in a sudden, complete moment. It evolved from older English usage where 'sudden' described quickness, and 'all of' emphasized the entirety of that quickness, highlighting the unexpected nature of the event.
Learn to use this expression actively
"All of a sudden" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (A2) - set 1", containing 104 commonly used expressions.
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