time expressions in english

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There are many words and expressions to refer to time. You can use these to sequence events and to make stories and anecdotes more interesting.

The present – permanent: Use the present simple tense to refer to permanent situations in the present. I now live in a small town. Nowadays I live in a small town. These days, I don’t have much of a social life.

The present – temporary: Use the present continuous tense to refer to temporary situations in the present. At present/At the moment, I’m living in a small town. For the time being, I’m living in a small town, but I hope to move soon.

Talking about a period of time in the past: My mother started working as a nurse in the 1960s. In those days she lived in London. Back then, nurses were poorly paid. At that time, nurses lived in special accommodation.

Talking about a single event in the past: Once, she lost her door key and had to stay in a hotel. On one occasion, she nursed the son of a famous politician.

Sequencing events in the past: There are many ways to sequence events in the past. Here are some of the more common ones. After (in the middle of a sentence); Afterwards/After that/After a while (at the beginning of a sentence). Then/Before (in the middle or at the beginning of a sentence); Before that/Previously/Until then (at the beginning of a sentence). By the time (in the middle of a sentence followed by a past perfect tense); By then/by that time (at the beginning of a sentence). I went shopping after I finished work. I worked all day in the office. Afterwards/After that, I went shopping. I went shopping. After a while, I got bored. I worked before I went shopping. I went shopping at 6 pm. Before that/Previously/Until then, I had worked all day in the office. I worked all day, then I went shopping. I was desperate to go shopping by the time I had finished work. I worked until 6 pm. By then/by that time, I was glad for the opportunity to go shopping.

Other expressions to refer to the next event in a story: Later on; Before long; At that moment/Suddenly; Meanwhile; At the same time; Simultaneously (a more formal way of saying “meanwhile/at the same time”). I worked and then went shopping. Later on, I met some friends for pizza. I waited for a while in the restaurant. Before long, the waiter came up and asked me… At that moment/Suddenly, I heard the door slam. Meanwhile/At the same time/Simultaneously, my phone started to ring.

People who are no longer “around”: An ex-president = someone who is no longer president: “The ex-president of France is still influential.” A previous/former boss: “A previous boss taught me how to make presentations.” “My former boss now works for a different company.” My late wife = my wife who has died: “My late wife painted watercolours.”

This post was last edited by tom2005 on 2009-3-6 at 23:37