All of the sudden, people are using the wrong variation

Sometimes, common usage wins out over established grammar rules.

That day has not officially arrived for “all of the sudden,” versus “all of a sudden,” says Grammar Girl.

Why? Well, there’s no technical explanation for what makes “the” wrong and “a” correct, in this case, beyond that it’s simply how we’ve done it for years.

But you can still enjoy Grammar Girl’s analysis of usage and her hunt to discover whether “the” might truly be allowable.