Use of "all right" for reaffirmation

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QuicksandBug

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Hello everyone,

I've seen "all right" being used as a complement on some sentences as a way to reaffirm some information that was said right before it.

For instance, "You are so petty" "I'm petty, all right." - Although I'm not sure if this is worded properly but the idea is to use the "all right" to reaffirm the previous "I'm petty", as if the one saying wanted to make sure that the other person knows that he's petty and that he's well aware of it.

What I ideally want is to know if the use of "all right" as a form of reaffirmation is actually right, and how to use it properly.
 

emsr2d2

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It's correct but I wouldn't put a comma before it.

Helen: Are you angry?
Sarah: Angry? Oh, I'm angry all right! My holiday's been cancelled!
Helen: Oh no! That's awful.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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I use alright, too.

Some Americans run it together when we say it: Aight.

And then there's the more playful alrighty.
 
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GoesStation

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I use alright, too.

Some Americans run it together when we say it: Aight.

And then there's the more playful alrighty.

I don't pronounce the /l/ sound, but I suspect it colors the preceding vowel. I'd produce very nearly the same sounds if I said "awe right".
 

Charlie Bernstein

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I don't pronounce the /l/ sound, but I suspect it colors the preceding vowel. I'd produce very nearly the same sounds if I said "awe right".
Yes, good addition. That's popular in the US, too.

See: Aight
 

PeterCW

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I don't pronounce the /l/ sound, but I suspect it colors the preceding vowel. I'd produce very nearly the same sounds if I said "awe right".


In British English that is a south eastern working class pronounciation. If it isn't part of your natural voice it may be considered an affectation to say it. I would pronounce the "l" but it would be quite faint.

In BrE you may hear "alright?" used as a greeting but I wouldn't recommend that non native speakers use it.
 

emsr2d2

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With people I know very well, I might greet them with "Hiya. You all right?" However, "You all right?" would actually sound more like "Yorite" (sorry, I don't do phonetic symbols), but even the final "t[e]" wouldn't be voiced - it would be swallowed.

I've recorded it to give you a better idea - https://voca.ro/i8P1X0YMzZN
 

Yankee

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An emphatic form of affirmation.
 
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