Phrase Usage – ‘Be (All) the Better for Something’

phrase-usageprepositions

be (all) the better for something

meaning: to improve as a result of something

e.g. Their performance will be all the better for a little extra practice.

I would word it just like this, "Their performance will be better for a little extra practice.". or "Their performance will be better with a little extra practice."

Is my adaption OK? Any nuances suggested?

Best Answer

There is an important difference of nuance, which the dictionary omits. The version with “all the better” suggests that the benefit is unexpected, or was not previously considered by the listener.

A well-known example of this phrase is in the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, when Little Red Riding Hood meets the wolf, who has dressed himself as her grandmother. Little Red Riding Hood is a little surprised at her “grandmother’s” appearance:

“Oh, grandmother! What big ears you have!” said Little Red Riding Hood.

“All the better to hear you with, my child,” said the wolf.

“But grandmother, what big eyes you have!” said Little Red Riding Hood.

“All the better to see you with, my child,” said the wolf.

“But grandmother, what large hands you have!” said Little Red Riding Hood.

“All the better to hug you with, my child,” said the wolf.

“Oh but grandmother, what big teeth you have!” said Little Red Riding Hood.

“All the better to eat you with!” said the wolf, who then jumped out of bed and ate up Little Red Riding Hood.

I think most native speakers today hear an echo of this scene from Little Red Riding Hood whenever they hear “all the better”. You could understand it as “Yes, but when you consider everything, that only makes the result better, not worse.”

Here’s a situation similar to your example but where “all the better” is natural:

“Oh no, the bus has broken down! The team will have to walk home. It’s five miles! We’ll be too tired to play on Sunday.”

“Your performance will be all the better for a little more exercise.”

You wouldn’t normally say “all the better” just to mean that getting some exercise will improve your performance. Here are some straightforward ways to say that, without the mixed overtones of “all the better”:

A little extra practice will improve their performance.

A little extra practice will make their performance better.

Their performance will be better because of a little extra practice.

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