actually

Everyday

1. Actually means «in fact» or «really», what is true. tree →
2. Actually is used when you correct someone or say something surprising. tree →
3. Actually is used to sound polite or soft when you disagree or change your mind. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday talk «actually» shows that something is true even if people expect something else: «It's actually quite easy.» In science it separates what we think from what is really so: the Sun looks small but is actually huge. In stories it marks a twist. Phrases: what actually happened, actually, I think…, did you actually…?

Examples

• The Sun looks small, but actually it is enormous. tree →
• Actually, my name is Sam, not Tom. tree →
• Did you actually see the fox? tree →
• I thought it would be hard, but it was actually easy. tree →
• Actually, I'd rather have juice. tree →
• What actually happened at the party? tree →
• Whales are actually mammals. tree →
• He actually finished the whole book in one day. tree →
• And he found that he actually had hind legs! tree →

Note

Spelling: actu-ALLY with double «l». Trap: in many languages a similar word means «now» or «current», but in English «actually» means «really, in fact», not «at present». Use it a little — saying it in every sentence sounds odd.

In Jewish tradition

In everyday talk «actually» shows that something is true even if people expect something else: «It's actually quite easy.» In science it separates what we think from what is really so: the Sun looks small but is actually huge. In stories it marks a twist. Phrases: what actually happened, actually, I think…, did you actually…?

Examples

• * The Chinese Philosophers even actually said that the circle 0 and the (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• This ]ieeuliarity harmonizes best with tjie Libjan- Uerberic alphabet, in which we actually find each of the first (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• A work like the Sefer Yetzirah could not have been the product of the person, who actually put it into writing. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Spelling: actu-ALLY with double «l». Trap: in many languages a similar word means «now» or «current», but in English «actually» means «really, in fact», not «at present». Use it a little — saying it in every sentence sounds odd.