a couple hours earlier

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a couple hours earlier" is not entirely correct in written English; it should be "a couple of hours earlier." You can use it when referring to a time that is two hours before a specific event or moment.
Example: "We arrived at the party a couple of hours earlier than expected."

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

At the James A. Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue, Ms. Lorusso scanned the copy of the redacted letter to Santa she was given when she had walked into the post office a couple hours earlier.

The New York Times

A couple hours earlier, the room was filled to capacity for "Mahogany," a musical theater piece by the African-American singer and writer Michael Benjamin Washington that featured music by Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston and Eartha Kitt.

The New York Times - Arts

I had been lied to just a couple hours earlier, and to read it in detail was more than I could handle".

Huffington Post

Following some looting that night — which police did nothing to stop, even though they had been firing teargas at protesters just a couple hours earlier — Missouri officials declared a state of emergency, a curfew, and, shortly after, deployed the National Guard.

Vice

I then started to tell him of an incident a couple hours earlier when I was recalling a conversation I had, but [had] another student butt in to tell the "same" story.

CBE Life Sciences Education

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

52 human-written examples

Using sysdig to capture all the bash executions is trivial, but in order to make things even easier, we spent a couple hours today putting together a new sysdig release that contains a new chisel called shellshock_detect.

TechCrunch

Speaking of touching human interest stories as they pertain to video games, if you haven't seen The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters yet, you really oughta set aside a couple hours today to watch it.

TechCrunch

If you agree, take a couple hours this week to "have more fun".

Huffington Post

Boyle, who was born in Canada and lives in Halifax, says he and Smith thought up the device in a couple hours in 1969.

Science Magazine

I've had these encounters before, and after standing for a couple hours in the summer sun, I did not want to spend any more time in it arguing with this guy.

Huffington Post

If you're looking to get your own, check eBay in a couple hours, or else wait until June 8, the planned release date for the 10.1.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

For clarity and grammatical precision, especially in formal writing, consider using "a couple of hours earlier" instead of "a couple hours earlier."

Common error

Avoid omitting the word "of" between "couple" and "hours". The grammatically correct form is "a couple of hours earlier".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a couple hours earlier" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb or clause to specify when an action occurred relative to another point in time. Although Ludwig AI flags it as needing adjustment, its usage remains frequent.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

85%

Science

8%

Formal & Business

7%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a couple hours earlier" serves as a time indicator, denoting an event occurring approximately two hours before a given reference point. While Ludwig AI points out that the grammatically correct form is "a couple of hours earlier", the shortened version is common, particularly in news and media. Its function is adverbial, providing context to actions or events. For formal writing, it's advisable to include the "of", but in many other contexts the difference is negligible. Alternative options include "two hours before" or "a short while before".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

two hours before

Replaces "a couple" with the exact number, increasing precision and formality.

about two hours prior

Substitutes "a couple" with an approximation and uses "prior" for a more formal tone.

approximately two hours before

Adds "approximately" for less precision and maintains a formal tone.

a couple of hours before that moment

Clarifies the reference point as a specific moment in time.

in the previous couple of hours

Emphasizes the duration leading up to the reference point.

a short while before

Replaces the specific time frame with a more general expression of recent occurrence.

two hours in advance

Highlights the preparation or action taken before a specific event.

not long before that

Uses a negative construction to indicate a relatively recent time before a specific event.

slightly more than one hour before

Offers a detailed, less common alternative phrase.

a bit before

Simplified more vague alternative

FAQs

How can I use "a couple hours earlier" in a sentence?

You can use "a couple hours earlier" to indicate something happened approximately two hours before a specific time or event. For example: "The meeting was scheduled for 10 AM, but I arrived "a couple hours earlier"".

What's the difference between "a couple hours earlier" and "a couple of hours earlier"?

"A couple of hours earlier" is the grammatically correct version. Although ""a couple hours earlier"" is commonly used, especially in informal contexts, the inclusion of "of" is more precise.

What can I say instead of "a couple hours earlier"?

You can use alternatives like "two hours before", "approximately two hours prior", or "a short while before" depending on the context.

Is it appropriate to use "a couple hours earlier" in formal writing?

While widely understood, ""a couple hours earlier"" is generally more suitable for informal contexts. In formal writing, opting for "a couple of hours earlier" or more precise alternatives ensures grammatical correctness and clarity.