1. He was surprised she came at all.
2. He was surprised that she came at all.
3. He was surprised because she came at all.
4. He was surprised when she came at all.
5. He was surprised she came after all.
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Q1: Does #1 mean #2? Are they all grammatical?
Q2: What is the meaning of 'at all' in each sentence?
Q3: What about Sentence 5? Does 'after all' mean the same as 'at all' here?
1 answer
They are all grammatical. "at all" implies that she might not have come. It really is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence, but implies that there may have been a reason for her not to attend. "after all" more clearly implies that she may have had some reason not to attend or come (to the event). It's left to the imagination, but perhaps a quarrel with the host, or previous statements that she would not like to come to the event.
1 answer