suddenly
/ˈsʌdənli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsʌdənli/ (ame, ipa)
suddenly — adverb
1. in a way that happens fast and without any sign that it is going to happen; used
in a way that happens fast and without any sign that it is going to happen; used to describe actions, events, or changes that take people by surprise.
Suddenly, the lights went out and the room fell completely dark.
sentence-initial 'Suddenly,' to mark a dramatic, unexpected event
Hao suddenly stopped talking when he saw the principal standing at the classroom door.
subject + suddenly + verb (action stopped without warning)
The rain stopped suddenly, and the sun came out from behind the grey clouds.
Adina's heart began to beat faster when she suddenly heard footsteps in the empty hallway.
Walid was driving for hours when the engine suddenly began making a strange noise.
- abruptly
more formal and often implies a change that seems rude or too quick; 'She ended the meeting abruptly' suggests she cut people off.
- unexpectedly
focuses on the surprise element; slightly less dramatic than 'suddenly', and can describe positive surprises too.
- all of a sudden
informal, mainly spoken; means the same thing but sounds less polished in writing.
- out of the blue
informal idiom; emphasises that nothing led up to the event; 'He quit his job out of the blue.'
文法句型
Suddenly, + clause
subject + suddenly + verb
verb + suddenly
用法筆記
Can appear in three main positions with different effects: sentence-initial for dramatic contrast ('Suddenly, everything changed.'), directly before the main verb for a neutral report ('He suddenly realised his mistake.'), or at the end of a clause for emphasis on the abruptness itself ('The car stopped suddenly.'). Overusing it in a single paragraph can weaken the dramatic impact.