After all means “remember that” when it gives a reason, or “despite what we expected” when things turned out differently. At the start of a sentence it introduces a reason worth keeping in mind: Let him go to the party. After all, he's eighteen. At the end of a sentence it shows that the result was not what you expected: The shop was open after all.
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After all, + reason; clause + after all (despite what we expected)
- Online lessons should not fully replace school. After all, children also need to learn how to work in a group.
- We thought the concert was sold out, but we managed to get two tickets after all.
- Let's walk to the station. After all, it's only five minutes from the hotel.
What changed
First versionWe drove around the town for two hours. After all, we found the hotel near the station.
RevisionWe drove around the town for two hours. In the end, we found the hotel near the station.
After all can look like “after everything that happened”, so it often ends up in a story about how a long search finished. But to say how events finally turned out, English uses in the end or finally. After all doesn't describe the end of a series of events, so it was replaced with In the end.
Above all means “most importantly”: Above all, stay calm. After all doesn't pick out the most important thing; it reminds you of a reason: Stay calm. After all, it's only a practice test.
Your turn
You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. ___, you only started learning Spanish in January.
Show the answer
After all — The second sentence explains why you shouldn't be hard on yourself: you only started learning Spanish recently. That kind of reason is introduced by After all. In the end tells you how a story finished, and there is no outcome here.
Write about why you decided to spend money or time on something important to you. Name the decision and use After all to give the reason behind it.
I've decided to pay for a good English course this year. After all, I'll need the language in my new job.
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