Subject: It depends which conutry you're in
Author:
Posted on: 2014-03-23 19:54:00 UTC
In British usage, it's "all right" if you're using it as an adjective, but "alright" for using it as an adverb.
Or at least it was until a few decades ago. Nowadays the trend is towards using the American-style "all right" for all situations.
This keeps bugging me: is it spelled 'alright', 'allright', 'all-right' or another way entirely?
not too long ago on this very Board. World-Jumper, in the context of misunderstanding a post from hS meant to be humourous, spells out the differences.
But to summarize, Pippa's Ghost is off. The difference beween "alright" and "all right" is in the usage:
When referring to someone's well-being or to say that something is acceptable, use alright:
"Are you alright?"
Q: "How did you do on the test?"
A: "I did alright."
Otherwise, use all right:
"Those cans were all right there! I don't know where they could be now?"
(Speaking to a group of people:) "Your opinions are all right, in their own way, but each one of you has missed a crucial point."
While it might have a small populist following, 'alright' is still not technically accepted on a wider literary scale. 'All right' is the more commonly used phrase in writing.
Part of it, I think, is going to come down to personal preference. Me? I don't like 'alright' for two major reasons. First, it doesn't look very good. Second, we have plenty of preexisting words that mean 'alright'. Fine. Okay. Acceptable. Decent.
It's something of a word in flux, to put things short.
The 'asking about one's wellbeing' one, not the two words one.
In British usage, it's "all right" if you're using it as an adjective, but "alright" for using it as an adverb.
Or at least it was until a few decades ago. Nowadays the trend is towards using the American-style "all right" for all situations.