of course
We use of course (not) to mean ‘as everybody knows’ or ‘as is obvious’.
- It looks as if the sun goes around the earth, but of course that’s not true.
- We’ll leave at eight o’clock. Granny won’t be coming, of course.
Of course can be used as a polite reply to a request.
- ‘Could you help me?’ ‘Of course.’
But of course is not always a very polite reply to a statement of fact.
- ‘It’s cold.’ ‘It certainly is.’ (not
Of course it is.– this would suggest that the first speaker had said something too obvious to be worth mentioning.)
note
For the use of of course to structure arguments, (see here), (see here).