What does alas mean?
Word: Alas
Part of Speech: Interjection
Meaning: Alas means a word that shows sadness, pity or regret about something that has happened.
Synonyms: sadly, regrettably
Antonyms: hurray, thankfully
How do you spell alas?
Syllables: a - las
Tricky part: It is only four letters, and none of them is doubled, though some students add a second l or s to make it look longer.
Watch out for: alass, alaas, alace
Memory tip: Alas, the last laddoo is gone. Take last, drop the t and put an a in front.
Alas in a sentence
Example 1: We reached the station at nine, but alas, the train had already left.
Example 2: Alas, the old banyan tree was cut down to widen the road.
Example 3: The hero searched every room, but alas, the treasure was gone.
Fun Fact
Alas came into English from Old French a las, which meant roughly ah, wretched me; las goes back to Latin lassus, tired or weary.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word alas as used in the sentence:
Rohit practised every evening for the final, but alas, he hurt his ankle a day before it.
a) happily
b) surely
c) luckily
d) unfortunately
Show answer
d) unfortunately. Alas shows regret about bad luck, just as unfortunately does; happily and luckily are the opposite.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The young climbers had trained for months to reach the sumit, but alas, thick cloud and heavy rain forced them back to the base camp below.
a) alas
b) sumit
c) heavy
d) climbers
Show answer
b) sumit. Summit has a double m; alas, climbers and heavy are all spelt correctly.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. tradgedy 2. alas 3. stanzza 4. rythm
a) a very sad event, or a play with an unhappy ending
b) a word used to show sadness or regret
c) a regular, repeated pattern of sounds or beats
d) a group of lines forming one part of a poem
Show answer
b) a word used to show sadness or regret. Short words can still be checked: a + las gives alas. The other three each hide a slip, in the z, the h or the d.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In which of these does alas fit?
a) Alas, we won the final by ten runs.
b) Alas, the new library opens on Monday.
c) Alas, the picnic was called off because of rain.
d) Alas, Grandma's cake turned out perfectly.
Show answer
c) Alas, the picnic was called off because of rain.
2. Where are you most likely to meet the word alas today?
a) in stories, poems and plays
b) on shopping lists and notes
c) in text messages between friends
d) in science and maths textbooks
Show answer
a) in stories, poems and plays
