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# actually

«actually» in Mova's school dictionary: **«in fact» or «really», what is true** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adverb (actually)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Actually means «in fact» or «really», what is true. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#m1)

2) Actually is used when you correct someone or say something surprising. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#m2)

3) Actually is used to sound polite or soft when you disagree or change your mind. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#m3)

### sense 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x1)
- Actually, my name is Sam, not Tom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x2)
- Did you actually see the fox? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x3)
- I thought it would be hard, but it was actually easy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x4)
- Actually, I'd rather have juice. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x5)
- What actually happened at the party? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x6)
- Whales are actually mammals. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x7)
- He actually finished the whole book in one day. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x8)
- And he found that he actually had hind legs! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/#x9)

### 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 the corpora

- [What was actually seen?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/41-our-street-who-parked-where-and-who-won-what/4/)
- [The confirmed part of a street story is what someone actually saw, like a car parked in a space on Tuesday.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/41-our-street-who-parked-where-and-who-won-what/15/)
- [Tenrecs look like hedgehogs or shrews but are actually related to elephants and aardvarks, African animals that dig for ants.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/164-madagascar-chameleons-geckos-tenrecs-baobabs-and-darwins-moth/10/)
- [Good listening means looking at the person, letting them finish, and then answering about what they actually said.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/51-manners-and-kindness/3/)
- [Jake is so surprised he actually gives the ball back.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/368-speaking-up-is-bravery-too/6/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «actually» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/actually/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.