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After, Before, When…

Indicating time-relative activities

Movie watchers

 

 

 

Present & Future Time Frames
TWO RELATIVE ACTIVITIES — PRESENT ACTIVITY

To indicate present (habitual or customary) time-related activities, a verb with the present tense in the main (matrix) clause is followed by a preposition with a present-tense clause as its complement. 
MAIN CLAUSE – PRESENT SUB CLAUSE – PRESENT

We watch a movie

after he arrives.    (later than)  habit

We make popcorn

before he arrives.     (earlier than)

We make popcorn

while he drives here.   (ongoing- same time activities)

We sit down

when he arrives.    (at that moment)

We sit there

as long as we want.   (for all the time)

We go out to dinner

as soon as the movie ends.  (immediately following)

We go out to dinner

when the movie ends.   (immediately following)

We go out to dinner

once the movie ends.   (immediately following)

We don't eat

until everyone receives food.  (immediately following)

We pay our bill

as the dinner ends. (in the last moments of the first activity.)

We have had fun 

by the time the evening ends.  (in the time before) 

We have a good time

whenever we get together.  (always)

We have a good time 

anytime we get together. (always)
 

TWO RELATIVE ACTIVITIES —FUTURE PLAN

To indicate two future time-related activities, a verb with future tense in the main (matrix) clause is followed by a preposition / conjunction¹ with a present-tense clause as its complement. ¹See Grammar Notes for terms.
MAIN CLAUSE – FUTURE SUB CLAUSE – PRESENT

We will watch a movie

after he arrives.  *(will arrive)  (later than)

We will make popcorn

before he arrives.    (earlier than)

We will be making popcorn

while he is driving here.     (ongoing- same time activities)

We will sit down

when he arrives.    (at that moment)

We can/ will sit here

as long as we want.     (for all the time)

We will  go out to dinner

as soon as the movie ends.  (immediately following)

We will  go out to dinner

when the movie ends.  (immediately following)

We will  go out to dinner

once the movie ends.  (immediately following)

We won't start eating

until everyone receives food.  (immediately following)

We will pay our bill

as dinner ends.   (in the last moments of the first activity.)

We will have had a good time 

by the time the ends.    (in the time before)   (future perfect)

 

 

 

 
 

*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
SUB CLS — subordinated clause
Also see After / Before –ing and Time-Relative Events (present tense)  Independent / Dependent Clause

 

 

 

 

When

Same Time vs. After

Dog coming in door
 
When — two similar meanings
SAME TIME

To indicate an activity occurs at the same time, the verb in the main (matrix) clause is followed by the preposition, when, with a clause as its complement.
MAIN CLAUSE SUB CLAUSE

The dog comes (present)

when I call. (present)                

The dog won't go outside (future)

when it rains. (present)

The dog didn't go outside (past)

when it rained. (past)

 
IMMEDIATELY AFTER

When is also used in a slightly different sense (understanding) of the word: an activity occurs immediately after another activity.
MAIN CLAUSE SUB CLAUSE

I close the door  (present)

when the dog comes in.  (present)

The dog will run back in (future)

when its feet touch the wet ground. (present)

The dog ran back in  (past)

when its feet touched the wet ground.  (past)
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed Time Frames

Past Tense

 

 

Past Tense Time Frames
FOCUS ON THE OCCURRENCE

Relative timing of two activities is expressed using a clause followed by a preposition such as after, before, when, while and a clause as its complement.
MAIN CLAUSE – PAST SUB CLAUSE – PAST

We watched a movie

after he arrived.   (later than his arrival)

We made popcorn

before he arrived.     (earlier than his arrival)

We made popcorn

when he arrived.     (at that moment)

We made popcorn

until he arrived.     (for all that time before his arrival)

We have had fun 
(routine) 

by the time the evening ends.  (in the time before)
FOCUS ON THE EARLIER-LATER TIMING

Relative timing with emphasis on the contrast, earlier or later, is expressed by marking the verb in the earlier-time clause with past perfect tense.
MAIN CLAUSE – PAST SUB CLAUSE – PAST PERFECT

We watched a movie

after he had arrived. (later than his arrival)

We had made popcorn

before he arrived.    (He can't say that he helped us!)

We had just finished making popcorn

when the fire alarm went off. (We were done making popcorn.)

We had been making popcorn

until he arrived. (We stopped.)

We will have had a good time 

by the time the ends.    (in the time before)   (future perfect)
 

See Grammar Notes.

 

 

 

 

Punctuation

Clause Order

 

 

 

Clause Position
INITIAL POSITION

commaA time-related conjunction and its clause can also be moved to the beginning of the sentence. Separate the clauses with a comma.
USE A COMMA

As soon as you get here, we'll leave.

Before I drink coffee, my head hurts.

After I drink coffee, my headache stops.

When you give me the keys, I'll start driving.
FINAL POSITION

no commaUse no comma when the time-relative conjunction and its clause is placed after the main clause.
USE NO COMMA

We'll leave as soon as you get here.

My head hurts before I drink coffee.

My headache stops after I drink coffee.

I'll start driving when you give me the keys.
 

 

 

 

 

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

 

 

ERROR SOLUTION

*I'll make some popcorn. After we'll eat it

I'll make some popcorn. Afterward, we'll eat it.
I'll make some popcorn. After that, we'll eat it.
After I make popcorn, we'll eat it.

*I'll call you before I will get there.

I'll call you before I get there.  Use present tense in the adverb clause.

*I'll lock the door before I leave.

I'll lock the door after I leave. After introduces the 2nd event. 
 

Also see Time-Relative Events (present tense)

 

 

 

Grammar Notes

Traditional Grammar and Linguistic Description

Advanced

 

 

TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION

In traditional grammar while, when, before, after, and since are conjunctions which join an adverb clause to an independent clause. The term adverbial clause is used because the clause adds time-related information about the verb and answers the question When? This added-on structure is called a dependent clause because it can not stand alone as a sentence.

In current linguistic analysis – while, when, before, after, and since — are prepositions which take a clause as a complement: with a subject and a verb (while we were walking home) or with a gerund-participle (while walking home).  Before and after additionally take a noun complement: (before me).  The structure is called an adjunct because it is not required for completing the meaning of the sentence. (The sentence is complete without the prepositional phrase.)

Azar & Hagen call these adverbial clauses or "time clauses" with no mention of a term for the connector. It is not clear whether while, when, before, after, and since are adverbs or conjunctions.   "A time clause begins with such words as when, before after, as soon as, until, and while and includes a subjects and a verb.  The time clause can come either at the beginning of the sentence or in the second part of the sentence…" (UUEG 4-3, Adverb clauses 17-2; Reduction  18-1)

Huddleston & Pullum (2009) use the term "temporal location expressions". In their grammar description, they reassign a large number of items previously analyzed as adverbs after, as, as soon as, before, once, since while, and when to the category of Prepositions.  The preposition is the head of the prepositional phrase (PP) which can be complemented by a noun phrase or a clause (with a subject and a verb, or a clause with a gerund-participle).  (CaGEL 7.2.4, 8.63)

 

Swan (2009) refers to while, when, before, after, and since as conjunctions. (PEU 29.1, 30.1, 73, 97, 411.6, 510)

after, because, though, if
— adverb clauses  (UUEG 17.3-11)

after, before, since, when, while\ 
— temporal location adjuncts.prepositions  (CaGEL 7.2.4, 8 §6.3)
— conjunctions (PEU 29.1, 30.1, 73, 97, 411.6, 510)
— subordinator. adverbial clause (LGSWE 2.4.7.5)
— subordinator. adverbial clause (CoGEL 8.53, 15.28)

 

 

 

Resources

 

 

 

Practice 1

Waiting for an Acceptance Letter

College Application
 

 

Correct or incorrect? (future tense)
  1. Read and select a response for each sentence, #1 – 10.
  2. Click the "Check All" button at the bottom of the practice to compare answers.
  3. Click the individual "check 1-10" buttons to read feedback for each response.

 

1.
Elena will be excited when she will hear that she is accepted to study in New York.  (She hasn't seen today's mail.)

   

2.
After a thick envelope came today in the mail, we know that it is good news (because it was not thin—a refusal.)

   

3.
We’ll wait until she will arrive to tell her.

   

4.
Before she sees the envelope on the table, we'll ask her to sit down.

   

5.
When she is seated, then we give her the envelope.

   

6.
Her face will change from worried to excited when she sees the thick envelope and the name of the school on the front.

   

7.
While she is reading it out loud, she is shaking with excitement.

   

8.
By the time she finishes reading it, she has read it five times.

   

9.
She will be dancing around the kitchen after she reads it.

   

10.
As soon as she calms down, we have lunch.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 2

Four Years Overseas

 

 

 

Complete the sentence. (past, present, and future tense)
  1. Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence. 
  2. Click the "check all" button at the bottom of the practice to reveal answers after you finish.
  3. Click the individual "check" buttons #11-20 to compare responses as you go.

 

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

 

 

 

 

 

Practice 3

A Changed Opinion

 

 

 

Read for errors

Before Elena traveled to New York, she was hearing a lot of awful things about New York city. However, she was pleasantly surprised once she had arrived. She saw a delightful mixture of people when she had walked around the area where her school was located. As long as she didn't went out alone at night, she felt safe. It was not much different from her own city of Athens. Friends told her greatly exaggerated stories before she had left Athens.

She had been fearful until she had seen it for herself. Elena enjoyed going to the neighborhood's cafés and book stores while she got her bachelor's degree. She sipped coffee as she studied. When ever she and her friends went out at night, they all walked home together. She held a completely different opinion of New York City by the time she has finished her studies.

awful (adj.) – unpleasant, bad

exaggerate (v.)– describe as better, worse or larger than it really is

 

 

 

 

Edit for errors
  1. Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
  2. Click the "check all" button at the bottom of the practice to reveal answers after you finish.  (Changes are marked in capitals.)
  3. Click the individual "check" buttons #21-30 to compare responses as you go.

 

21.
Before Elena traveled to New York, she was hearing a lot of awful things about New York city.


22.
However, she was pleasantly surprised once she had arrived.


23.
She saw a delightful mixture of people when she had walked around the area where her school was located.


24.
As long as she didn't went out alone at night, she felt safe. It was not much different from her own city of Athens.


25.
Friends told her greatly exaggerated stories before she had left Athens.


26.
She had been fearful until she had seen it for herself.


27.
Elena enjoyed going to the neighborhood's cafes and book stores while she got her bachelor's degree.


28.
She sipped coffee as she studied.


29.
When ever she and her friends went out at night, they all walked home together.


30.
She held a completely different opinion of New York City by the time she has finished her studies.