You're staying at a friend's
house. You're feeling sleepy now, so you announce that you're going to go to
sleep.
All right, I
think I'm going to head off to bed now.
This is how to tell someone
what you want to do, if you don't think they will mind.
Hey, I think I'm going to order take-out for dinner.
In a lot of American
workplaces, you can use this to ask your boss for permission to take vacation
days or sick days. You might expect that it would be more polite to ask in this
way:
Can I take the day off?
This isn't wrong, but it does
sound a bit like a child asking for something from his parents. If you are
allowed to take days off of work and it doesn't cause extra problems for other
people, it's better to act a little more confident and tell your boss your
plan, rather than asking.
You can use "All
right" at the beginning of a sentence when you're changing from one topic
to another. For example, a history teacher might say this:
All right, I think we've covered the French
Revolution. Now let's talk about the Napoleonic Wars.
You can also start a conversation or end one with the
phrase "All right":
This means to start going
somewhere. You can say this if you’ll stay at that place for a long time – for
example, to a new home or on a vacation.
Let’s get together before you head off to college.
They're heading off to Hawaii on Sunday.
We also say “head to,” which
has a very similar meaning, but can be used for shorter visits, too.
I’m gonna head to the store. Need anything?