ALREADY

[Dr. Goodword]

• already •

Pronunciation: awl-red-ee • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adverb

Meaning: 1. Earlier than expected (Marian Kine is already engaged). 2. So soon (Are you leaving already?). 3. Emphatic modifier (US): Enough already!

Notes: Today's Good Word is one of the 250 Most Often Confused Words in English. A long time ago publishers discovered that already was once all ready and began encouraging us to spell today's word as two. In fact, already has long since become an adverb that indicates an action completed earlier than expected. The phrase all ready retains its original, logical sense of "everyone and everything is prepared".

In Play: Today's Good Word is a verb modifier that indicates an action completed earlier than expected: "Herschel had already finished the whole pie by the time his guests arrived." The sentence, "The children were all ready and bundled up warmly to go caroling on the snowy evening," means that all the children were ready. Here all is a discrete adjective that simply means what it always means: "all".

Word History: It is true that already originated in the phrase all ready but it is a distinct word today. Frequently used phrases often become independent words over the course of a language's history; always, although, and holiday (from holy day) are just three. They become new words when they take on a meaning no longer related to that of the phrase. All is a strictly Germanic word, apparently borrowed, since we find no evidence outside Germanic languages like English, Dutch, German, and the Scandinavian languages. Ready is most prominent in Germanic languages: the reed in Dutch gereed, Danish rede (and allerede "already"), Swedish redo (redan means "already"), and the reit in German bereiten "to prepare, make ready". It seems to be related to ride and road, and originally meant "rideable, ready for riding, roadworthy". (We're grateful to Terry Evans for suggesting today's Good Word, a word important enough to have already been written up in the 250 Most Often Confused Words in English.)

[dougsmit]

I either disagree with meaning one or need a fourth. I see 'already' as a way to emphasize the pluperfect rather than comment on expectations. When we say Marian Kine is already married we are saying she is off the market now but not how long it took her to get that way. Marian could have been single for 50 years and engaged for 20 years but she still classifies as 'already married' on the day after her wedding when the question arose about her status. We have words to indicate early onset (prematurely, precociously) but 'already' just indicates a 'done deal' completed fully before the time of the statement.

Anyone agree/disagree?

[Audiendus]

The sentence, "The children were all ready and bundled up warmly to go caroling on the snowy evening," means that all the children were ready. Here all is a discrete adjective that simply means what it always means: "all".

There is a further meaning of "all ready", in which "all" is an emphatic adverb, e.g. "I'm all ready to go". Here "all" qualifies the adjective "ready". (A similar adverbial use of "all" can be seen in "The picture has gone all funny".)

Frequently used phrases often become independent words over the course of a language's history; always, although, and holiday (from holy day) are just three. They become new words when they take on a meaning no longer related to that of the phrase.

For some reason, many people object to "alright", and insist that it be spelled "all right". Yet the two meanings are distinct - a quiz score of 8 out of 10 may be alright, but it is certainly not all right.

[thejazzgirl]

Completed action?

[Audiendus]

I either disagree with meaning one or need a fourth. I see 'already' as a way to emphasize the pluperfect rather than comment on expectations. When we say Marian Kine is already married we are saying she is off the market now but not how long it took her to get that way. Marian could have been single for 50 years and engaged for 20 years but she still classifies as 'already married' on the day after her wedding when the question arose about her status. We have words to indicate early onset (prematurely, precociously) but 'already' just indicates a 'done deal' completed fully before the time of the statement.

Anyone agree/disagree?

Yes, I agree. We can say, for example, "I would be very surprised if he hasn't already paid". Here, his payment would be in accordance with our expectation.

[Slava]

[Yes, I agree. We can say, for example, "I would be very surprised if he hasn't already paid". Here, his payment would be in accordance with our expectation.

To expand on this and use both ideas: "He was all ready to pay off his loans, but the office had already closed by the time he got there."

To be honest, I don't see the "children were all ready" phrase as referring to "all the children." I read it as "the children were entirely ready." If it's going to be all the children, then it should be phrased, "all the children were ready." Probably just me, but that's the way it is.

[Dr. Goodword]

This is one of those used so frequently that their meanings have become squishy. I understand, "He has already paid the bill," to mean that it was paid earlier than expected. Why would already be used if the bill was paid when the speaker expected it to be paid in some sense? If the bill were paid on time, then someone else must have expected it to be paid late or at some other imaginary time.

I had written alright in with although and similar words but one of my editors raised a question about its "standardness", so I dumped it. Speaking of squishy, I'm a bit that myself.

It is true that all may be used as an intensifier with ready, as in "Bill was all ready to pay the bill." It probably has other functions as well but I try to limit the length of the Good Words to what I think someone might invest while finishing their morning coffee. I try to hold on to a little modesty.

[dougsmit]

We will have to disagree on this one. When you get a past due notice for a bill that you have previously paid and the notice requests another payment, you say that the bill was 'already' paid. No one is suggesting that the bill was paid early or late; the question is whether the bill has or has not been paid. In this case 'already' simply puts emphasis on the pluperfect.