If at all: How and When to Use in English

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If at all

If at all is often used to make negatives stronger. It indicates that something is unlikely to happen, or rarely happens, and that it will occur in a negative or restricted way if it does happen. The use of if at all emphasizes notions of scarcity, restriction, smallness, etc.
It never rains for a very long time, if at all. When it rains, it is only for a short time; usually, it doesn't even rain.
He might come late, if he comes at all. We're not really expecting him to come. If he does come, it will be late.
The police usually come late, if at all. The police often come late, however usually they don't even come.
If at all can also be used in questions, most often with question words like 'when' or 'how'. In this sense, it implies two questions together, one more general and one more specific:
When, if at all, will the war end? Will the war ever end? If the war does end, when will that be?
How will a new logo increase our profits, if at all? Will a new logo increase our profits? If it will, then how will it do that?
Exercise 1
The following sentences use the expression 'if at all', which appears at the end of certain phrases to suggest doubt. Some of the sentences may be written incorrectly. Choose 'Correct' or 'Incorrect' for each example.

'My father usually comes to Christmas dinner drunk, if he comes at all' =

'The alien forces invaded the country yesterday, if at all' =

'This company will make billions, if at all' =
The following sentences use the expression 'if at all', which appears at the end of certain phrases to suggest doubt. Some of the sentences may be written incorrectly. Choose 'Correct' or 'Incorrect' for each example.

'My father usually comes to Christmas dinner drunk, if he comes at all' = Correct 1

'The alien forces invaded the country yesterday, if at all' = Incorrect 2

'This company will make billions, if at all' = Incorrect 3
1 Correct: This sentence is correct. 'If at all' is a construction which qualifies a statement, expressing that an action is uncertain. Here, the speaker is expressing that it is possible that his father doesn't attend Christmas dinner on occasion. Note that we can say either 'If he comes at all' or simply 'If at all'.
1 Incorrect: This sentence is not incorrect.
2 Incorrect: This sentence is incorrect. We cannot use the 'if at all' in a construction which refers to a past (finished) action. 'If at all' is used to express that an action is uncertain or unsure, so it doesn't make sense to use it in a sentence where an action has occurred! 'If at all' is generally used to qualify habitual actions.
2 Correct: This sentence is not correct.
3 Incorrect: This sentence is incorrect. 'If at all' is generally used after a phrase which is negative or expresses a restriction of some kind. It doesn't make sense to use it after a positive statement about a large number ('billions'). We could say: 'This company will not make much money, if it makes money at all'.
3 Correct: This sentence is not correct.
Exercise 2
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Which sentences use this expression correctly? There may be more than one correct answer.
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Which sentences use this expression correctly? There may be more than one correct answer.
This is a correct sentence, meaning "We may not be able to come; if we do come, we will only be able to come for a short time". "If at all" adds the possibility of the speakers not coming. We can add "if at all" here because the existing sentence already contains a restriction ("for a short time").
This sentence does not make sense. "If at all" is used to add uncertainty to an already negative or restricted statement. "Bruno loves all kinds of chocolate" is a very positive statement!
This is a correct sentence, meaning "Polly may not reply; if she does reply, she will probably send a very short reply". "If at all" adds the possibility of Polly not replying. We can add "if at all" here because the existing sentence already contains a restriction or negative word ("briefly").
This sentence does not make sense. "If at all" is used to add uncertainty to an already negative or restricted sentence, and there is nothing negative in the question "Could you send me a reminder email tomorrow?". Don't confuse "if at all" with "if at all possible", which is a politer version of "if possible". We could say "If at all possible, could you send me a reminder email tomorrow?
Exercise 3
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Which sentences use this expression correctly? There may be more than one correct answer.
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Which sentences use this expression correctly? There may be more than one correct answer.
This sentence does not make sense. "If at all" is used to add uncertainty to an already negative or restricted statement. "You’re going to like this book" is a very positive statement!
This sentence does not make sense. "If at all" is used to add uncertainty to an already negative or restricted statement. "I believe Susie will get all the answers right" is a very positive statement!
This is a correct sentence, meaning "Bruno may not be surprised at all; if he is, he will only be slightly surprised". "If at all" adds the possibility of Bruno not being surprised at all. We can add "if at all" here because the existing sentence already contains a restriction ("slightly").
This is a correct sentence, meaning "Icarus sometimes doesn't drink (alcohol); when he does drink, he only drinks a little". "If at all" adds the information that sometimes Icarus does not drink. We can add "if at all" here because the existing sentence already contains a restriction ("only a little").
Exercise 4
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Which sentences use this expression correctly? There may be more than one correct answer.
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Which sentences use this expression correctly? There may be more than one correct answer.
This is a correct sentence, meaning "You should either add a small amount of pepper to this dish, or no pepper whatsoever". "If at all" adds the possibility of adding no pepper at all. We can add "if at all" here because the existing sentence already contains a restriction ("a small amount").
This is a correct sentence, meaning "Sometimes my grandson doesn't call me; when he does call me, he does so reluctantly". "If at all" adds the information that sometimes the grandson does not call his grandparent. We can add "if at all" here because the existing sentence already contains a restriction ("reluctantly", which is the opposite of "willingly" or "happily").
This sentence does not work. Although the verb "to hate" carries a negative meaning, the overall sentence is affirmative and does not contain any kind of restriction. A correct sentence with a similar meaning would be: "They will only like our new living room a little bit, if at all".
This sentence is grammatically incorrect. There is no reason to use the expression "if at all" here. If we removed the "at", however, the sentence would be correct: "If all my colleagues come to the party, we won’t have enough chairs!".
Exercise 5
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Select the most appropriate missing term for each sentence.

While I’m on vacation, please telephone me , if at all.
Because of his high blood pressure, Horatio should drink alcohol, if at all.
Philip seems to be aware of our new branding guidelines, if at all.
The following sentences use the expression "if at all", which is used to add uncertainty to a sentence. Select the most appropriate missing term for each sentence.

While I’m on vacation, please telephone me occasionally 1, if at all.
Because of his high blood pressure, Horatio should drink very little 2 alcohol, if at all.
Philip seems to be barely 3 aware of our new branding guidelines, if at all.
1 occasionally: This option makes the most sense. The speaker is basically saying: "Please don't telephone me while I am on vacation, or if you must telephone me, only do so occasionally". The expression "if at all" stresses the possibility of not telephoning whatsoever. Another example: "In an average year, I go to the cinema rarely, if at all".
1 often: This is a very unlikely sentence, which would imply that two options were acceptable to the speaker: 1) not telephoning at all, or 2) telephoning often. "If at all" is used to add the possibility of "not at all" to an existing restriction. Therefore, we need to express a restriction (of time) in this sentence.
1 never: This sentence would not make sense with the word "never". The words "if at all" already add the possibility of telephoning "not at all" or "never", so using "never" in the main part of the sentence would be redundant. In general, "if at all" is used with a partial, but not absolute, restriction. For example: "In our family, arguments happen rarely, if at all".
2 very little: "Horatio should drink very little alcohol, if at all" means that Horatio should ideally not drink alcohol, or if he does, he should drink not much alcohol at all. The expression "if at all" emphasizes the option of not drinking any alcohol. Another example: "You should make few enemies at work, if at all".
2 lots of: This is a very unlikely sentence, which would imply two recommended options: 1) not drinking at all, or 2) drinking a lot. This would be strange medical advice! "If at all" is used to add the possibility of "not at all" to an existing restriction. Therefore, we need to express a restriction (of amount, or frequency) in this sentence.
2 no: This sentence would not make sense with the word "no". The words "if at all" already add the possibility of drinking no alcohol, so using "no" in the main part of the sentence would be redundant. In general, "if at all" is used with a partial, but not absolute, restriction or negation. For example: "I tend to add very little salt to my food, if at all".
3 barely: This option makes the most sense. It implies that Philip is either barely (hardly, slightly) aware of the branding guidelines, or completely unaware of them. The expression "if at all" adds the possibility that he is not aware of them. Another example: "I hardly hear any noise from our neighbors normally, if at all".
3 highly: "If at all" is generally used with a negative or restrictive statement. For example: "My son does his homework miserably, if at all". "Philip seems highly aware…" is a very positive statement!
3 not: This sentence would not make sense with the word "not". The words "if at all" already add the possibility of Philip being unaware, so using "not" in the main part of the sentence would be redundant. In general, "if at all" is used with a partial, but not absolute, restriction or negation. For example: "

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