all _____ sudden

And finally, anyone who uses the terms "irregardless," "a whole nother," or "all of the sudden" shall be sent to a work camp.

I heard this last night on Family Guy, which prompted me to search "all of the sudden." I didn't understand what was wrong with it. Upon finding this site and reading some comments, I'm okay with both "a" and "the" forms. I consider myself very educated -- contrary to what some people might say because I use "the." I will continue to use the "the" form because that's the only thing I've ever heard.

I live in Minnesota -- one of the most educated states in America -- and everyone uses the "the" form.

Suck it, you arrogant "a" users!

I'm not sure which is more pompus, mentioning your education or assuming others are ignorant for using colloquialisms. Although, using genius as your screen name is probably even worse.

Finally I have found others who also have been driven crazy by what I thought was a new phenomenon in the land. All my life I have said "All of a sudden" and for a while now I hear "All the sudden" as though it was always thus. I thought I was going nuts. I feel better knowing there are others who say it "my way". This thread has really been fun and interesting to read and expand my little world. Thanks everyone. But I will always only consider All of a sudden "the right one".

All of a sudden, "all the sudden" seems so awful. But, all of the sudden insanity over what is proper suddenly seems even worse.

I'm very well read, yet have always said "all of the sudden". For some reason the "a" version always sounded vulgar to me. While it's clear to me now that usage dictates that "all of a sudden" is the standard, what's more telling is that there is NO grammatical basis for this rule. Neither is grammatically legitimate - only "suddenly" fits the bill in that regard.

I disagree that the phrases being discussed are idioms. There are no metaphoric meanings to these phrases which would classify them as idioms.

I do agree that they are all both colloquial and evolutionary language developments.

Putting these three exprssions in that light, would have us look at the grammatical structure. "All the sudden" does not add up to correct structure. The other two do but their usage depends on your version of the English language.

Having said all of this, we still communicate our thoughts with all three expressions. What bothers me is that no one will agree that there is a correct view. Would we have this discussion if it were that we were discussing a mathematics problem where 1+1=

I, like Dave, am also from Philadelphia's Main Line. I have a Ph.D., so I am somewhat educated. I have never said "all of a sudden." It's always been "all of the sudden for me," though "all the sudden works for me, too.

If I were to have to say the phrase "all of a sudden," all of the sudden, I would begin to puke. I am sure that there are officers on Guantanamo who could pound the phrase into me over time, while keeping a bag over my head and dogs barking at me. Some potential candidates for that prison guard role do seem to be on this thread.

all the sudden i read this and realized it was dumb.

The bottom line: Both "All of a sudden" and "All of the sudden" are colloquialisms. The phrase is further confounding becase "sudden" is not a noun, and as we know, a/the being the indefinite/definite artlcle, respectively, precede nouns. "Suddenness" is a noun. Grammatically, both phrases are incorrect. Most colloquialisms are just that: agrammatical. This is why we use them. Gonna is a good example. I'm from Idaho, which, contrary to popular belief is not in the midwest, and have said "All of the sudden" my whole life. "All of suddenness" is what I'm going to start saying. Just kidding.

I am among those who have never heard of "all the sudden" until now (I always say "all of a sudden") but to be honest, I sort of like "all the sudden." I couldn't really tell you why, but it sound archaic and fanciful to me. At any rate, if we're to compare the grammatical logic of these two phrases, neither of them really stack up much at all, but I would put my vote on "all the sudden" as it looks to me like it falls into the [all the + comparative/superlative] construction. All the best, all the same, all the bigger, etc. Well, maybe not, since "sudden" is just an adjective as far as I can tell, not a comparative or a superlative. Thoughts?

Regardless of which phrase you use, you will be understood.

If you want to be absolutely correct, use "suddenly." Otherwise, let it go.

I've never heard it, but I am in the States only few weeks a year on average. It's an idiom, and sounds quaint to me. I can't understand anyone getting upset about it when there are real abominations out there, like "I could care less." Language changes, and this particular change doesn't distort the meaning, strictly speaking is no less correct than "all of a sudden", and has the distinct advantage of being one word shorter, providing economy of speech with color. I may start using it myself!

It's simply All of a Sudden. That is just how it is. Kind of like to an educated person, irregardless is an incorrect term.

I know this thread is old but I feel compelled to add a comment, as I'm sure others will happen upon this site -- and this thread -- just as I did.

I'm 50 years old and grew up in the Chicago area. I am of above average intelligence, at least. I have always said and heard "all of the sudden". It was the few times I heard "all of a sudden" that caused me to Google the prhases and consequently, end up here.

What I am most amazed at is the absolute certainty with which some of the people who have contributed to this thread speak on the subject. Just because you believe it to be one way or the other ("a" vs. "the") does not make it so. I found myself saying "Who are these people that they are such an authority on the matter. As I kept reading, it became apparent that they are only an authority in their own mind.

Kudos to Dan, who was right on target with his take on the matter, when he said, "The bottom line is that it is an idiom. Idioms have established societal rules, but no grammatical rules. So, if people started saying "all the sudden" all of the sudden, then that would become the accepted idiom!"

I must admit that I am one who often feels "fingernails on the chalkboard", having been raised, on the Philadelphia Main Line, by a mother who harped that the TV commercials were teaching us poor grammar. For example, she insisted that it should have been "Winston tastes good AS a cigarette should". Though both points are debatable, hearing "like a cigarette should" infuriated her, so much so that she switched to menthol cigarettes, before quitting.

I have more recent laments of my own, e.g., "as best he can", but that's for another thread.

However, WRT the use of "all... sudden", I am amazed to suddenly find, at the age of 56, that I apparently learned it the "wrong" way. Being well educated, having traveled extensively among many in the "effete corps of impudent snobs" throughout North and Central America, Europe, the Pacific region and the West Indies, I have to agree with Brandy, Travis, Izzy, Melissa, Candace and Dan.

IMHO, neither phrase seems to make proper grammatical sense, except as an idiom and I'll continue to use the one I grew up with. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Sir Winston Churchill. This is the sort of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put. (or words to that effect)

And who in the hell is AndyS to call it laziness when someone thinks they heard it differently than he (thinks he) did? How does it require greater effort to hear (or mishear) an utterance one way vs another? One hears what one hears. Full stop. As for reading, I prefer non-fiction, hence my lack of familiarity with the "proper" phrase, in spite of my Main Line upbringing. Its use is much more prevalent in fiction.

Zara, you and your husband deserve each other, nevertheless, you have my condolences. Oh, and I doubt that your wealthy acquaintances are "completely" uneducated, although it's quite funny that you should arrive at that conclusion on this basis.

For the pedantic prescriptives reading this: WRT= with regard to, IMHO= in my humble opinion

Funny. I'm well educated, and grew up in Chicago as a child and then San Diego as a teen/young adult. I now live and work in Washington DC. I speak and write professionally for a living, and only after I was married last year at the age of 31, was I ever corrected by someone for saying "all the sudden" - by my wife!

She and I have had many discussions about this phrase, usually as a result of her frustration from hearing me say it. The bottom line is that it is an idiom. Idioms have established societal rules, but no grammatical rules. So, if people started saying "all the sudden" all of the sudden, then that would become the accepted idiom!

To those of you who get frustrated by this, I say: get over it.

I'm with Ems: I have only heard "all the sudden" recently, maybe in the last ten years. I believe it's a matter of chronology, not region. And I assumed it came from the mouths of people who thought that's what they were hearing, and either they never read, or they just never noticed that you don't see it in print--you see "all of a sudden."

At least --I never, ever saw it in print until tonight, which sent me to Google, which sent me here. And where I saw it in print was--an online article in the Nation, by William Greider! I was bummed.

Bummed, because I'm like AndyM and others. "All the sudden" does feel to me like the old fingernails-and-chalkboard abuse. But, see, there's the problem: just as chalkboards have been replaced by whiteboards, language moves on. "All of a sudden" bears a distinctly archaic flavor, just like "all on a sudden," which you'll see in books from the 1830s. "All the sudden" makes no sense to me, and it sounds stupid, but... I'm being replaced.

It's the ongoing dilemma about descriptive and prescriptive dictionaries, and about standards. If a standard falls in the woods and nobody hears...?

On the other hand, if there were no standards...? It bugs me to hear "he graduated high school." WRONG! It should be "he graduated FROM high school." But the way my mother learned it, it should be "he WAS graduated from high school." (The school graduates you, you don't graduate the school.)

So she thought I was wrong, and I think the new way is wrong, and now we're into a whole different thread, but you get the point. All the sudden, we're into a whole new English.

I understand what has been said about 'all of the sudden,' and I see why it is gramatically incorrect. My question now is this: If all of the sudden can be replaced by the correct 'suddenly,' in almost all cases, wouldn't the same be true for 'all of a sudden'? What I am getting at is that 'All of the sudden', although slang, means the same thing as 'all of a sudden'. For example, take this sentence used with both examples.

All of the sudden, I heard a sound to my right.
All of a sudden, I heard a sound to my right.
Suddenly, I heard a sound to my right.
They all mean the same thing, and the reader understands what is being implied in all three. If all of the sudden is improper in this, then all of a sudden would be as well. If 'suddenly' replaces 'all of the sudden' it would only make sense that it would replace 'all of a sudden' as well. Am I right?

I have heard people saying, "all the sudden" for the past five years or so. At first, I thought I must have misunderstood. But that is indeed what people are saying. I travel considerably, and this is not a regional malady. It is everywhere! In fact, last night I heard Matt Lauer of NBC say, "all the sudden" three different times during an interview he was conducting. I could not believe my ears. The term is "all of a sudden."

I agree with Izzy. Along with dialect, these little phrases make our language take on unique personalities and makes listening to people speak more interesting. I'm from the midwest and I have said "all of the sudden". However, I read almost daily. This might be shocking also, but I am educated. Snobish and accusing are very well selected words to describe the things being said here about a very common phrase.

I hope that you are acomplishing something of more value than ranting about the "poor language skills" of others.

If someone uttering "all of *the* sudden" is all it takes to ruin your minute/hour/day, you have a blessed life. Colloquialisms make our language colorful and fascinating, in my opinion. As such I don't really think it's our job to be snobbish and accuse people of being uneducated if they speak with a phrase that you don't like.

I think it would be interesting to figure out in just how many regions people actually use the phrase "all the sudden." AndyS has pinpointed them as being in the Midwest. Joe says the phrase is used by Northerners in the UK. Dave Rattigan says it is mainly heard in "southern states," specifying Mississippi.

I come from Acadiana, or "Cajun Country," (located in Central Coastal Louisiana) and also use this phrase colloquially. While many outsiders may argue that this region is included under the category "southern states," the Cajun dialect and the dialects spoken by those with the Southern accent/drawl are so different that their speakers make fun of each other. Furthermore, the person who pointed out that I was incorrect in saying "all the sudden," is actually from the New Orleans area, which is also in the South, but once again, has its own dialect.

In short, we have pinpointed the Midwest, the Northern UK, Mississippi, and Acadiana. I would be interested to know what other regions/dialects in the English-speaking world commonly use the colloquial phrase "all the sudden."

Andy...I couldn't agree with you more! This bugs the heck out of me when I hear people say "all the sudden" and I hear it a lot in a community of wealthy but completely uneducated folks! The worst part is, when I used the phrase correctly, one of these illiterate guys had the nerve to try and correct me! That was the straw that broke the camel's back! I let it be known loud and clear that ALL THE SUDDEN is a phrase used by those who have never picked up a book to understand how the idiom is actually said. Eeeeek! These little things really get under my skin. I had a discussion with my hubby about it the other day and it seems I'm not alone on feeling this way! :)

I think some of you need to learn to write other words correctly before you begin to criticize others usage of idioms.

as far as i can tell the oldest version of the phrase is "upon the soden" from 1558 which transformed to "of a sudayn" in 1596 which was further butchered to "all of a sudden" by 1681. i got that info from etymonline. "upon the soden" i think makes sense because i sounds sort of like "on the fly" which relatively makes sense. i have always said "all of the sudden" and recently got some flak for it. its an old idiom and is so far from its original form that i think its silly for prescriptive grammarians to attach themselves to one particular convoluted form when the others make just as much sense. and an idiom is just that- a peculiar phrase. how is someone going to tell a whole bunch of people the "correct" way to say something peculiarly.

Ugh--like nails on a chalkboard.
"All the sudden" is a mistake. It is a result of laziness; that is, people hear "all of a sudden" spoken, and it sounds like "all the sudden" so they assume that's what it is. These people, who, in my experience, live in the Midwest, apparently do not read much.

"All of the sudden" and "all the sudden" are not correct phrases. They are slang. There is not a written situation where "suddenly" will not work better and more correctly in their place.

Unless you are writing dialogue or colloquial English, use 'suddenly'.

Use 'suddenly' it types faster.

"All of a sudden" is worldwide, where "all of the sudden" is mainly heard in the southern states. Or at least the only person I've ever heard it from is a friend from Mississippi.