All Ready or Already?

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What Is the Difference between "All ready" and "Already"?

"All ready" and "already" are easy to confuse because they sound identical, but their meanings are quite different. "All ready" means completely prepared. "Already" means prior to a specified time. For example:

• The team members are all ready.
(Note that "all ready" can be replaced with just "ready." "All ready" is more emphatic.)
• We have finished the task already.

All Ready

"All ready" means "completely prepared." It is more emphatic than just "ready," but - grammatically - it can be replaced with "ready."

Here are some examples of "all ready" in sentences:

• Lillian is all ready. Mark is prepared to brief.
(Most readers would assume Lillian's state of preparedness to be higher than Mark's.)
• Make sure everyone is all ready by 9 o'clock.

Already

"Already" is an adverb meaning "prior to a specified or implied time" or "as early as now."

Here are some examples of "already" in sentences:

• It is already illegal to culture human-animal embryos for more than fourteen days.
("already" = since before now)
• When they pulled the shark up in the net it was already dead.
("already" = since before then)
• The wild Hepatica Nobilis flowers are already blooming. This is one month earlier than last year.
("already" = as early as now)

Top Tip

"All Ready" Equals "Ready"

"Ready" can replace "all ready" but not "already."

Try to use just "ready." If your sentence still makes sense, then you are safe to use "all ready"; otherwise, use "already." For example:

• Jean is all ready.
  (Try the substitution: Jean is ready.
(As "ready" sounds okay, "all ready" is correct.)


• I have already seen this film.
(Try the substitution: I have ready seen this film.
(As "ready" sounds wrong, "all ready" must be wrong. So, "already" is correct.)

More about "All Ready"

Of course, the word "all" (when used as an indefinite pronoun with a meaning similar to "everyone") can precede "ready."

Example:

• Is John ready? Is Jane ready? Are you ready? Are you all ready?
• Yes, we are all all ready.

Ready for the Test?