All Along for Dummies

All along is a phrase that we use to describe a situation where we have been aware of or knew something from the very beginning, even though it might not have seemed obvious at first. It's like when we feel like we've known something all along, even if we didn't realize it at first. You know how sometimes you have a feeling or a thought about something, and then later on you find out that your feeling was actually true? Well, that's kind of what "all along" means.

Let me give you an example to help you understand better. Imagine you are trying to solve a puzzle, and you have been thinking really hard about it. Suddenly, you get a little spark of an idea, even though you're not totally sure if it's correct. As you continue to work on the puzzle, trying different things, you start to notice that your original idea was right! So, you could say that you knew the solution all along, even though you only realized it later on.

Another way to think about it is like when you're watching a movie or reading a book, and there's a big surprise or plot twist at the end, but when you think back on it, you realize that there were actually clues or hints along the way that could have given it away. So, you could say that the answer or the surprise was there all along, but you just didn't notice it until later.

So, in simpler terms, "all along" means that we knew or were aware of something from the beginning, even if it wasn't obvious at first. It's like having a feeling or an idea that turns out to be true, or realizing that there were hints or clues that you didn't notice until later. It's all about looking back and seeing that something was there, even when you didn't fully realize it at the time.