Time plays an important role in our lives, and we are exposed to it from the moment we are born. We are governed by time; it tells us when to get up in the morning, when to go to school, when to attend different classes, when to go back home, when to do our homework and when to retire for the night. Time changes many aspects of English and connectors referring to time are required to communicate properly. This High English quiz on grammar will familiarise you with some of them.
If you were to meet your friend in the coffee shop you would probably give a time when you would meet the person, say 6 PM, or you might refer to a common point of reference in time such as ‘after the science class’ or ‘before we leave for home’. There are several ways of referring to time, such as before or after an event, at the same time, in the past, in the future or at different points in time.
English grammar employs many words as time connectors, depending on the time factor referred to in the sentences. Here are some of them:
Previously
Afterwards
Once
As soon as
In the meantime
Till then
Meanwhile
Later
At First
Then
Here is an example:
‘It is great to be in Mysore. PREVIOUSLY I had only been to Bangalore.’
Here the reference to Bangalore is made through PREVIOUSLY, indicating that the person had been to Bangalore earlier and probably this visit to Mysore may be his first.
Since time is a continuum it can be referred to in a wide spectrum and there are many words that can be used as time connectors apart from the words shown above. Take this English grammar quiz on connectors referring to time, and keep up with the times!