Easy way to understand, how to use ''AT'' in English
STUDENT QUESTION: I usually hear questions like this: Do you drive at all? Or similar… And they are very confusing for me… I never know if is a positive or negative question and how to answer it. Could you help me on this?
ANSWER: “At all” means something like “anything more than zero” or “even a little bit.”
It’s often used in negatives:
I don’t eat pork at all. = I don’t eat pork – not even a little bit. He doesn’t exercise at all. = He does NO exercise The party was no fun at all. = There was zero fun, not even a little I can’t sing at all. = I have zero singing talent In questions, the person is inquiring about ANY activity, even small/infrequent:
Do you drive at all? = Do you drive – even a little bit / infrequently? If you drive (even only a little bit / occasionally), then the answer is YES.
If you never drive, then the answer is NO.
Did he say anything at all? = Did he say anything, even just a tiny/short phrase? PUT IT INTO PRACTICE! Leave a comment on the video with your examples:
I don’t like ____________ at all. Ex) I don’t like rock music at all. I haven’t ___(verb in past participle)___ at all lately. Ex) I haven’t watched TV at all lately.
