It was a curiosity that these two phrases were considered a word confusion all of a sudden versus all of the sudden, so I had to explore.
From all of the sudden choices to all of a sudden there were choices.
Using the, a definite article, puts the emphasis on sudden whereas using a, an indefinite article, keeps the entire phrase all of a sudden, intact.
Most of the controversy is between written and verbal usage with all of the sudden appearing to be more of a regional usage and, in some cases, a lazy pronunciation that slurs a into sounding like the.
Essentially, all of a sudden boils down to suddenly and is used in formal speech and writing. Ideally, all of a sudden should also be your first, last, and only choice when using it at all.
All of the sudden is considered incorrect.
Exploring Later . . .
From the “laziness” aspect, you may want to explore “Might’a not be a Could’a, Would’a, Should’a“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| All of a Sudden | All of the Sudden |
|---|---|
Man Falling is under the CC BY 4.0 license, via VectorPortal. — All of a sudden, he fell. |
Be Aware of Warning Signs During All Hunting Seasons, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (MCAS), North Carolina, by Sergeant Cody Lemons is under the Public Domain Mark 1.0 license, via Picryl. — All of the sudden movements should stop. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Idiomatic Adverb phrase
Alternate phrasing: on a sudden |
Adverb phrase + Definite article + Adjective |
| Emphasizes how entirely sudden or surprising the occurrence is
Suddenly It happens quickly and unexpectedly Entirely without warning, abruptly |
|
| Examples: | |
| “. . . they would needs have a golden Calfe instead of Moses, to goe before them, and therefore all of a sudden they came with great violence unto Aaron . . .” (Dod).
All of a sudden, the bear stood on his hind legs and spoke to me in perfect French. I was walking down the street when all of a sudden a car swerved onto the sidewalk. All of a sudden, hail and lightning rolled in from nowhere and turned our pleasant picnic into chaos. |
All of the sudden moves Bruce Lee made thrilled his moviegoing fans.
It’s “the sudden moves” that is the operative phrase. “An unexpected event happens not ‘all of the sudden’ but ‘all of a sudden'” (Brians). Of all of the sudden things that could have happened, I was not expecting this one. |
| History of the Word: | |
| The earliest use, per Reader’s Digest, “is credited to Shakespeare’s 1596 play The Taming of the Shrew, where he wrote ‘Is it possible that love should of a sodaine [sudden] take such hold?'” (Neeson, 1.1.117-8).
All was added in the 1600s. |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for All of a Sudden vs All of the Sudden
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“All of a Sudden vs. All of the Sudden: Which Version Is Grammatically Correct?” GrammarBook.com. n.d. Accessed 12 Sept 2023. <https://www.grammarbook.com/blog/spelling/all-of-a-sudden-vs-all-of-the-sudden/>.
Brians, Prof Paul. “all of the sudden.” Washington State University. n.d. Accessed 12 Sept 2023. <https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/05/16/all-of-the-sudden/>.
Dictionary.com: all of a sudden
“It’s ‘All of a Sudden’ (There’s No ‘The’).” Usage Notes. Grammar & Usage. Merriam-Webster. n.d. Accessed 12 Sept 2023. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/usage-of-all-of-a-sudden>.
Merriam-Webster: all of, sudden
Neeson, Johanna. “All of a Sudden vs. All of the Sudden: Which is Correct?” Reader’s Digest. 21 Oct 2022. Accessed 12 Sept 2023. <https://www.rd.com/article/all-of-the-sudden-vs-all-of-a-sudden/>.
Traffis, Catherine. “All of a Sudden or All of the Sudden — Which is Correct?” Grammarly.com. n.d. Accessed 12 Sept 2023. <https://www.grammarly.com/blog/all-of-a-sudden/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Breezy by D Miller is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
