ENGLISH
REFERENCE

be along

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to arrive at a place soon.

phr. v.. to arrive at a destination; typically used in the future tense or with modal verbs to indicate an imminent appearance.


SIMPLE

The next bus should be along in five minutes.

CONTEXTUAL

Don't worry about the waiter; I'm sure someone will be along to take our order shortly.

COMPLEX

The manager mentioned that a technician would be along presently to address the connectivity issues plaguing the office network.

Particles
along
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
be + along
Usage

almost always used with 'will', 'should', or 'would' to predict an arrival.

Teaching tip

this is a softer, more casual way of saying 'arrive' or 'come'; it often implies that the person or thing is already on its way.

Pitfall

The taxi was along at 5:00.The taxi came at 5:00.we rarely use 'be along' for completed past actions; it is almost exclusively for expected future arrivals.

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