All right means “OK, fine” when you agree, and “fine, not hurt” or “going well” when you talk about how someone feels or how things are going. It also describes something acceptable but not great: The hotel was all right. The expression is conversational but polite, so you can say it to friends and colleagues alike.
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All right (= OK, agreed); be/feel all right; Is it all right if I + verb?; That's all right (reply to sorry)
- Are you all right? You look a bit pale this morning.
- All right, let's meet at the station at six and take the train together.
- The hotel was all right, but the breakfast was really disappointing.
What changed
First versionIs it normal if I send you the report tomorrow morning?
RevisionIs it all right if I send you the report tomorrow morning?
Normal can seem like the natural word for asking whether something is OK, but normal means “usual, typical”, so Is it normal if I…? sounds as if you're asking whether people generally do this. To ask for permission, say Is it all right if I…?
The one-word spelling alright is also used, especially in messages and informal writing. But many people see it as informal, so in an essay, an email to a teacher or a business email it's safer to write two words: I hope everything is all right with your order. In British speech, Alright? can also be a greeting like “How are you?”, and nobody expects a detailed answer.
Your turn
I heard your brother had a small car accident. Is he ___?
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all right — Your brother has been in an accident, and you're asking whether he's hurt, so all right, meaning “not hurt, OK”. Is he normal? would sound like a question about whether he's normal in general and could offend.
Write a short message to a colleague asking to move a meeting. Ask for permission with Is it all right if I… and give the new time.
Is it all right if I move our meeting to Thursday at 3 pm? My train from Leeds is delayed.
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