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A simple rule is that you can put time expressions such as “Tomorrow,” “Last week,” or “Two days ago” at the beginning of your sentence or at the end of your sentence.
Here are some correct examples:
1 Tomorrow we’ll have an important meeting.
Or:
We’ll have an important meeting tomorrow.
Not: We’ll tomorrow have an important meeting.
And not: We’ll have tomorrow an important meeting.
2 Last week I saw Jen with Enzo.
I saw Jen with Enzo last week.
3 Two days ago I made an appointment with my dentist.
I made an appointment with my dentist two days ago.
And not: I made two days ago an appointment with my dentist.
Please note: This rule doesn’t count for always, never, sometimes, usually and rarely. For the rule of these, have a look at this article.
So to recap:
Put time expressions at the beginning or at the end of your sentence.
Easy, isn’t it?
Please have a look at some more examples:
4 Early in the evening we went for a walk on the beach.
We went for a walk on the beach early in the evening.
5 Yesterday night Alexandra worked the night shift.
Alexandra worked the night shift yesterday night.
6 At a quarter to six the bell rang.
The bell rang at a quarter to six.
7 In the summer of 1995 Desiree wasn’t born yet.
Desiree wasn’t born yet in the summer of 1995.
So now try the quiz.
Quiz
You can do the quiz online here.
Put in the time expressions according to the instructions between brackets.
Example 1:
Mat worked all day (today, end).
Answer:
Mat worked all day today.
Example 2:
Farhad did his laundry (yesterday, beginning).
Answer:
Yesterday Farhad did his laundry.
1 Robin quit smoking (last year, beginning).
2 The stars are bright (tonight, beginning).
3 Mr Eastlander is out (this afternoon, end).
4 Spring starts early (this year, beginning).
5 The sun goes down (at five o’clock, end).
6 The birds build a nest (when it gets warm, end).
7 I need to remove the clothes from the line (before it gets dark, beginning).
8 She falls asleep on top of her book (when she feels tired, beginning).
9 The neighbours will start renovating their flat (in December, end).
10 The toast will be ready (in five minutes, beginning).
Did you like this quiz? Why not order some more?
1. Adverbs of time are usually put at the end of the sentence.
subject – verb – indirect object – direct object – time
• I will tell you the story tomorrow.
• She has an appointment with the doctor next Tuesday.
2. If you don’t want to put emphasis on the time, you can also put the adverb of time at the beginning of the sentence.
time – subject – verb – indirect object – direct object
• Tomorrow I will tell you the story.
• Later she ate the porridge.
3. Note that some time expressions are adverbs of frequency (always, never, usually, often, etc.). These are usually put before the main verb (except for ‘be’ as a main verb).
subject – auxiliary/be – adverb – main verb – object, place or time
• I often go swimming in the evenings.
• He doesn’t always play tennis.
• We are usually here in summer.
• I have never been abroad.
4. If you need to use more than one adverb of time in a sentence, use them in this order:
how long – how often – when
• I work for five hours every day.
• The magazine was published weekly last year.
• I was abroad for two months last year.
• She worked in a hospital for two days every week last year.
Time Order Words or Phrases tell when events happen and in what order. Here are some useful time order words in English.
List of Time Order Words
These are time-order transition words in English you should know…
BEFORE
- Earlier
- Formerly
- In the past
- Not long ago
- Once
- Preceding
- Previously
- Prior to
- Up until that time
- Yesterday
FIRST
- At first
- At the beginning
- At the onset
- Before
- Commence
- Embark
- From this point
- In the first place
- Starting with
- To begin
NEXT
- After
- After a few days
- After a while
- After that
- As soon as
- Consequently
- Following
- Henceforth
- In time
- In turn
- Later
- Momentarily
- Not long after
- Right after
- Second
- Third
- Shortly
- Since
- Soon
- Soon after
- Then
- Tomorrow
- When
- Presently
SOMETIMES
- At times
- From time to time
- Gradually
- Occasionally
- Periodically
- Rarely
- Seldom
- Some of the time
LAST
- Afterward
- At last
- At the end
- Eventually
- Final
- Finally
- Hereafter
- In conclusion (In Conclusion Synonym)
- In the end
- Last of all
- Later on
- Thereafter
- To conclude
- To finish
- Until
Time Order Transition Words Examples
- In the past, the exam had been overemphasized.
- He was cross at first, but later he relented.
- The general had served as a soldier in the earlier war.
- Smocks were formerly worn by farm workers.
- We’re going to Japan at the beginning of July.
- Franco began to prepare the ground, starting with the Falange.
- Henceforth I expect you to be punctual for the meeting.
- She started to sing, and then the others chimed in.
- After a while, we naturally started talking about the children.
- I like to buy myself little luxuries from time to time.
- Let’s go to the theatre first and eat afterward.
- To conclude, I’d like to express my thanks to my family.
- To begin with, I don’t like his attitude.
- Not long ago I had read that each atom was a sort of solar system.
- As soon as we can afford it, we’ll move out to the suburbs.
- Periodically, Congress has made half-hearted attempts at finance reform.
- Eventually, Roberto backed down and apologized.
- Presently, a young woman in a white coat came in.
- From this point, we can apply our usual analysis.
Time Order Transition Words | Infographic
Useful List of Time Order Words in English
Last Updated on August 16, 2019
In English, the word order is strict. That means we can’t place parts of the sentence wherever we want, but we should follow some certain rules when making sentences. These rules apply not only to formal language but also to everyday spoken English. So, we should learn and always follow them.
Direct word order and inversion
When the sentence is positive (affirmative), the word order is direct. That means the verb follows the subject.
Examples
Caroline is a local celebrity. Caroline = subject, is = verb
We work remotely. We = subject, work = verb
You have been learning Spanish for two years. You= subject, have been learning = verb
In questions (interrogative sentences) the subject and the verb swap places. We call it indirect word order, or inversion.
Examples
Am I right? WRONG I am right?
How old are they? WRONG How old they are?
What day is it today? WRONG What day it is today?
If there is an auxiliary verb, its first word will precede the subject.
Examples
Are you sleeping?
Have you read my message?
Will you help me, please?
Has anyone been looking for me?
Will he have finished the job by 5 o’clock?
Direct and indirect objects
The object normally goes right after the verb. We don’t put any other words between them.
I like my job very much. WRONG like very much my job
He meets his friends every Friday. WRONG meets every Friday his friends
In the examples above, the object is direct. A direct object answers the question «whom» or «what» and there is no preposition after the verb. If we can’t put the object without a preposition (talk to smb, agree with smb, rely on smb), the object is indirect.
I’m not satisfied with my test score.
Let’s talk about the new project.
Now, if we have two objects, one is indirect and the other is direct, then the direct object has the priority to go first.
The professor explained the concept to the students. WRONG to the student the concept
He said nothing about those errors. WRONG about those errors nothing
If there are two direct objects and one of them is a pronoun, the pronoun goes behind the verb.
Could you show me the way, please? WRONG the way me
They wished her luck. WRONG luck her
Place and time
Expressions of time and place usually go together after the verb and the object (if there is one). We first indicate the place (where, where to) and then the time (when, how often, how long).
Examples
We go {to the theatre} {every month}. where=to the theatre, how often=every month
There were lots of people {in the park} {on Sunday}. where=in the park, when=on Sunday
Jim will give me a lift {to the station} {after the meeting}. where to=to the station, when=after the meeting
lt is often possible to put time at the beginning of the sentence.
At this time tomorrow, we’ll be going to the airport.
Sometimes I want to be alone.
Summary
Let’s briefly sum up the rules:
- Positive sentence: subject + verb. Question sentence: verb + subject
- Do not split the verb and the object
- Direct objects go before the indirect objects
- If one of two direct objects is a pronoun, it goes first
- Place goes before time
So you have some curiosity about time order words? The short answer is that time order words establish the sequence in which events happen and are some of the most important words in the English language.
What are Time Order Words?
Time order words set the scene in academic writing as well as fiction. They are the compass and the time keeper to help keep the listener on track. The most popular place to find time order words is at the start of a paragraph, but they can come anywhere in a sentence.
So maybe you’re still wondering why time order words are important? They provide the context and grounding in the English language. Without them, you are most likely to be a little bit lost and possible assume something that is not true or part of the story.
Time Order Words List
Here are some examples broken down into categories to help make some sense of time order words.
BEFORE
- Earlier
- Formerly
- In the past
- Not long ago
- Once
- Preceding
- Previously
- Prior to
- Up until that time
- Yesterday
FIRST
- At first
- At the beginning
- At the onset
- Before
- Commence
- Embark
- From this point
- In the first place
- Starting with
- To begin
NEXT
- After
- After a few days
- After a while
- After that
- As soon as
- Consequently
- Following
- Henceforth
- In time
- In turn
- Later
- Momentarily
- Not long after
- Right after
- Second
- Third
- Shortly
- Since
- Soon
- Soon after
- Then
- Tomorrow
- When
- Presently
SOMETIMES
- At times
- From time to time
- Gradually
- Occasionally
- Periodically
- Rarely
- Seldom
- Some of the time
LAST
- Afterward
- At last
- At the end
- Eventually
- Final
- Finally
- Hereafter
- In conclusion
- In the end
- Last of all
- Later on
- Thereafter
- To conclude
- To finish
- Until
Time Order Sentence Examples
- In the past, I had been taught to bake cookies.
- At first, I was a bit nervous about speaking in front of the committee.
- The maiden has learned from her earlier experiences.
- Before they became trendy, overalls were formerly only worn by farm workers.
- We’re going to Thailand at the beginning of the winter to avoid the snow.
- Mary began to prepare the meal, starting with peeling the potatoes and carrots.
- Henceforth you must pay a toll to cross this bridge.
- If beaches are your jam, then you must go surfing with me.
- After a while, the conversation turns to the meaning of life.
- I like to eat ice cream for breakfast, from time to time.
- Let’s go to the concert first and then eat dinner afterward.
- To conclude, I agree with everything everyone has said here tonight.
- To begin with, I’m not always so scared of the dark.
- Not long ago I learned that most sharks are not predatory towards humans.
- As soon as I save up enough money, I’m taking a trip to Mexico.
- Periodically, I don’t like being around people and need to be alone.
- Eventually, the sun rose and everything was back to normal.
- Presently, we have enough grain to supply the farm for the rest of the month.
- From this point, let’s count our blessings and let go of the losses.
Time Order Words | Image
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Last Updated on June 22, 2022