Strengthening Questions and Negative Statements with "At All"
"At all" is a quick and effective way to add emphasis to statements and questions. It's also something that many English students never learn in classes or textbooks even though it's common in daily conversation.
Students aiming for English fluency will definitely need to be familiar with this grammar point. To help you explain it to them, this article will present the basics as well as a collection of examples for you to share.
Negative statements
“At all” is used in two major ways, both of which add emphasis. The first use we’ll look at is in negative statements. Look at this example:
I don't like green tea.
This statement is clear and direct. But what about the following one?
I don't like green tea at all.
In the first example, it’s possible the speaker drinks green tea occasionally, even if it’s not their favorite drink.
But adding “at all” to the end gives the statement a much stronger feeling. In the second example, it sounds as if the speaker will never drink green tea if they have the choice.
It was so foggy, we couldn't see anything at all.
Here, the extra emphasis from "at all" emphasizes how little the speaker could see.
It’s important to point out that "at all" is only used in sentences with a negative form of a verb.
This means a statement such as “I hate horror movies at all” is incorrect; even though the feeling of the sentence is negative (hate), the verb is in the positive form. The proper way to express this idea is "I don't like horror movies at all."
Here are some other examples:
We don't eat meat at all.
They won't listen at all.
At the karaoke bar, he didn't sing at all.
However, although it is used in negative statements, the statement can still have a positive meaning. For example:
I have no problem at all recommending Miles for the job.
= I recommend Miles 100%.
Here, the speaker is expressing how much they think Miles would be good for the job; they can recommend him with no hesitation. Here's another example:
We didn't have any trouble at all finding the hotel.
= We had no trouble finding the hotel.
Be sure to demonstrate to students that “at all” can sometimes be used in the middle of a statement instead of at the end.
I didn't sleep on the flight at all.
I didn't sleep at all on the flight.
The only place it cannot go is at the beginning of a statement.
Questions
The other main way of using “at all” is in questions. Just like above, it adds emphasis. For example:
You didn't buy anything at the market?
This is a basic question. The following example, however, sounds stronger.
You didn't buy anything at all at the market?
This stronger question includes a nuance of surprise; the speaker is looking for confirmation that their friend really bought nothing.
Here is another pair of questions to compare:
Did she say anything?
Did she say anything at all?
Again, the second example is more intense. Similar to before, it may imply surprise, or it may signal that the speaker wants or needs information badly, even if it's only something small.
Responses
“At all” can also be used as a response to a question. This usage confirms something that was previously said.
It needs to be used along with a negative word, which depends on what the speaker is responding to.
Max
Did you have trouble finding our house?
Lola
Not at all. / None at all.
= I didn't have any trouble.
Bobby
You didn’t buy anything from the store?
Billie
Nothing at all.
= I didn't buy anything.
Sam
Do you mind if I sit here?
Jun
Not at all.
= I don't mind. / Please sit!
Wrap-up
Of course, we don't need "at all" to form questions and negative statements. But if students want to add a little extra impact to what they say, it's the perfect tool for the job.
It's likely that some students will be confused at first with the structure and usage, particularly with using a negative form to communicate a positive message. So be sure to give them plenty of opportunity to try it out for themselves in a lesson.
