all to ordinary

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "all to ordinary" is not correct; it should be "all too ordinary." You can use it to describe something that is excessively common or unremarkable.
Example: "The movie was all too ordinary, failing to capture my interest."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

To understand how a wedding could accomplish that, it is instructive to look much further back than 1981 — to a time before royal weddings meant much at all to ordinary Britons.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

How much good did all that do to ordinary people who were living in those boroughs?

The Guardian

I'd add that the wild popularity of mobile phones made all that available to ordinary people.

Harvard Business Review

Perhaps the signal all this sends to ordinary folk would not matter or last if we were living in good economic times.

Independent

His activities were all connected to ordinary newsgathering, and the target was a government employee suspected of leaking.

The New Yorker

In his old age, our ancestor Simon Finch had built it to please his nagging wife, but with the porches all resemblance to ordinary houses of its era ended.

Independent

Their refined versions of abstraction purge all references to ordinary life, seeking instead a purified, eternal realm devoted to the essences of form.

The New York Times - Arts

Speculative bubbles developed, with home prices and mortgage debt losing all relationship to ordinary people's stagnant incomes, from which mortgage repayments must inevitably be made.

The Guardian - Opinion

However, she's never used advertising - the brand's popularity is all down to ordinary women punters spreading the word, girlfriend to girlfriend - and there is something admirable about her obsessive dedication to getting this product off the ground.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

As this short film highlights, low earners tell us that they feel alienated and ignored by politicians, suggesting that the repeated appeals by all parties to "ordinary" and "hardworking" households on "middle and modest income" are not reaching their intended audience.

The Guardian

Cook Wilson, therefore, considered it "repugnant to create a technical term out of all relation to ordinary language" (SI, 713), and he particularly disliked the tendency to unearth some concept in Greek philosophy in order to introduce a new technical term.

SEP

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming to express that something is excessively mundane, use the correct form "all too ordinary" or consider stronger alternatives like "overly commonplace".

Common error

Avoid using "all to ordinary" as it's grammatically incorrect. The correct phrase is "all too ordinary", indicating something is excessively typical. Ensure you use the adverb "too" to convey the intended meaning.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "all to ordinary" is intended to function as an adjective phrase, modifying a noun to describe its quality of being commonplace. However, it's grammatically incorrect. Ludwig indicates that the correct form is "all too ordinary".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "all to ordinary" is grammatically incorrect; the correct form is "all too ordinary". Ludwig AI suggests that it's intended to describe something excessively typical or commonplace. While examples exist, it's a rare construction. Consider using alternatives such as "all too common" or "overly commonplace" for better clarity and grammatical correctness. The phrase appears sporadically across News & Media and Scientific content, but its incorrect usage diminishes its effectiveness in formal communication. Ensure to use the correct adverb "too" instead of "to" for accurate expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

all too common

Replaces "ordinary" with "common" and corrects the grammar to "all too", indicating excessive commonness.

all too typical

Substitutes "ordinary" with "typical" while keeping the corrected "all too", emphasizing the predictability of something.

excessively ordinary

Uses "excessively" instead of "all to" to intensify the degree of ordinariness, with a more grammatically standard structure.

overly commonplace

Replaces the entire phrase to denote something that is excessively typical and unoriginal.

very run-of-the-mill

Uses an idiom to describe something as being extremely ordinary and unremarkable.

entirely conventional

Focuses on the adherence to accepted norms and standards, implying a lack of originality.

completely standard

Highlights that something is wholly in line with what is expected, without any deviation.

wholly unremarkable

Emphasizes the lack of any notable qualities, making something forgettable.

nothing out of the ordinary

Expresses the absence of anything exceptional or unusual.

just plain average

Directly states that something is merely of average quality or character.

FAQs

What's the correct way to say something is excessively common?

The correct phrasing is "all too ordinary". Alternatively, you can use phrases like "all too common" or "overly commonplace".

Is "all to ordinary" grammatically correct?

No, "all to ordinary" is grammatically incorrect. The proper form is "all too ordinary", where "too" functions as an adverb modifying "ordinary".

How can I use "all too ordinary" in a sentence?

You can use "all too ordinary" to describe something that lacks uniqueness or is excessively typical. For example: "The plot of the movie was "all too ordinary", offering nothing new."

What are some alternatives to "all too ordinary"?

Alternatives include "excessively mundane", "overly commonplace", or "very run-of-the-mill". These options provide similar meanings while varying in tone and emphasis.