Learn English – end this sentence with “also” or “too”? Which one is right

also-toodifferencesgrammargrammaticalityword-choice

Please see the sentences:

I scheduled to stay after school with you today, but yesterday I was assigned a detention for today too.

I scheduled to stay after school with you today, but yesterday I was assigned a detention for today also.

The sentence ending in also sounds better to me, but I am not a native speaker, and I don't know it it's correct to use also at the end of a sentence.

Which one is the correct form?

Best Answer

'Too', 'also' and 'as well' are quite often interchangeable. In this instance, they are, and can all be used at the end of your sentence.

However, if you have a preference not to end your sentences with 'also', try this:

I scheduled to stay after school with you today, but yesterday I was also assigned a detention for today.

However, I do think the sentence as a whole sounds a little awkward. From what I gather of the meaning, I would reword it to something like this:

I would've spent detention with you after school today but, yesterday, I was also given a detention.

Related Solutions

Learn English – Confusion about “would it not be better if” vs “it would be better if”

This happens to be an idiom which exists almost identically in German and English, and it works just the same way. You can rearrange your friend's statement to match the German style to make it obvious:

"My friend asks if it would not be better for you to come here."  
"My friend asks: would it not be better if you came here?"
                 Would it not [be] better if
                 wäre  es nicht    besser wenn

If someone says "Would it not be better if you came here?" or "Wouldn't it be better if you came here?" they are saying that they think it would be better, and they are asking you if you disagree. The 'not' is a bit confusing, because it doesn't invert the meaning. If someone says "Would it be better if you came here?" that means the same thing, but is a more neutral/open question.

Learn English – The correct usage of “too” and “also”

I don't think they are interchangeable in every case. "I forgot my homework too" implies that you have forgotten your homework and some other thing(s), whereas, "I too forgot my homework" implies that you and someone else have forgotten to bring their homework. "Peter ate the pie too" or "Peter drank the juice too" means he ate/drank pie/juice and some other thing(s), and "Peter also ate the pie" or "Peter also drank the juice" means he and someone else ate/drank the pie/juice.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Learn English – Confusion about “would it not be better if” vs “it would be better if”

Learn English – The correct usage of “too” and “also”

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