Suddenly meaning in English
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Definition
suddenly: abruptly, without warning, very quickly, unexpectedly
sudden: abrupt, quick, unexpected
Pronunciation examples
UK: The town was destroyed in a sudden aerial attack.
US: Suddenly I realized I left my passport at home.
Examples
- "Don't make any sudden movements."
- "No sudden movements, just turn around nice and slow!"
- "That was sudden!"
- "I was sitting innocently at my desk, daydreaming about my statue, when suddenly and inexplicably I fell out of my chair and onto the floor."
- "Suddenly a black minivan swerved into the parade route, sideswiped the float and caused Bruno to lose his balance and fall."
- "What began as the dream of two ambitious Italian youths in Tuscany ended suddenly and brutally in a Milan boardroom last week when it was announced that fashion house Dulce and Carpaccio had been taken over by Sylvio Mazerati."
Exercise 1
In the phrase "it ended very abruptly", a synonym for "abruptly" is .
In the phrase "it ended very abruptly", a synonym for "abruptly" is suddenly.
suddenly: This is correct. "Abruptly" shares a similar meaning with "suddenly". The two terms are often used interchangeably. When Susie says her relationship ended "abruptly", she means that it ended "quickly" or "without warning".
eventually: "Eventually" ("finally", or "at last") is not synonymous with "abruptly" in this, or any other context.
finally: Finally, ("at last") is not synonymous with "abruptly" in this, or any other context.
poorly: "Poorly" ("weakly" or "not well") is not synonymous with "abruptly".
recently: "Recently" ("not long ago") is not synonymous with "abruptly".
Exercise 2
"Eventually, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop..."
In this sentence, eventually means:
In this sentence, eventually means:
"Eventually, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop..."
In this sentence, eventually means:
In this sentence, eventually means:
"Suddenly" means "abruptly" or "without warning", for example: While I was walking in the park it suddenly started raining.
"Eventually" means "over time" or "finally", for example: Eventually I will earn enough money to buy a house. In this text, "eventually" indicates that it took time for Bruno to transform Xavier's perfume shop into a large corporation, and that it didn't happen immediately.
"Possibly" indicates possibility or chance. Often it is synonymous with "maybe", for example: That is possibly the worst idea I have ever had.
"Fortunately" is synonymous with the term "lucky". For example: Fortunately, I had my umbrella when it started raining. Using "fortunately" here would express that Bruno was "lucky", or had the good fortune to transform Xavier's perfume shop. This is not what the term "eventually" indicates.
Exercise 3
Complete the sentences below with synonyms of the terms in bold.
"Eventually, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop..." → , Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop...
"a world-renowned, multinational cosmetics company" → a world-, multinational cosmetics company
"Eventually, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop..." → , Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop...
"a world-renowned, multinational cosmetics company" → a world-, multinational cosmetics company
Complete the sentences below with synonyms of the terms in bold.
"Eventually, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop..." → Over time 1, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop...
"a world-renowned, multinational cosmetics company" → a world-famous 2, multinational cosmetics company
"Eventually, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop..." → Over time 1, Bruno transformed Xavier's humble perfume shop...
"a world-renowned, multinational cosmetics company" → a world-famous 2, multinational cosmetics company
1 Over time: "Eventually" means "at the end of a period of time" or "after a relatively long period of time". For example: Eventually, I will earn enough money to buy a house. In this text, "eventually" indicates that it took time for Bruno to transform Xavier's perfume shop into a large corporation, or that it didn't happen immediately.
1 Suddenly: "Suddenly" means "abruptly" or "without warning". For example: While I was walking in the park, it suddenly started raining.
1 Possibly: "Possibly" indicates possibility or chance. Often it is synonymous with "maybe", for example: That is possibly the biggest elephant in the world.
1 Fortunately: "Fortunately" is synonymous with the term "lucky". For example: Fortunately, I had my umbrella when it started raining. Using "fortunately" here would express that Bruno was "lucky", or had the good fortune to transform Xavier's perfume shop. This is not what the term "eventually" indicates.
2 famous: "Renowned" means "famous" or "well-known". Bruno transformed Xavier's perfume shop into a company which was "known" or "celebrated" all over the world.
2 renamed: A "renamed" company is a company which has been named again. This is not what "renowned" expresses in the text. For example: We renamed our daughter "Moonbeam" because she didn't like her original name.
2 unknown: "Unknown" is actually the opposite of "renowned", for example: There are still parts of the world which are unknown and haven't been explored. The text indicates that Bruno transformed Xavier's shop into one which was "known" or "celebrated" all over the world.
2 infamous: "Infamous" means "having a bad reputation", for example: Idi Amin, the infamous dictator of Uganda, was feared by many. This term is usually used to describe villains or criminals, but it does not describe what happened to Xavier's perfume shop.
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