a few hours earlier

USAGE SUMMARY

"a few hours earlier" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when you need to indicate that something happened before a certain reference point in time. For example: "We had met a few hours earlier at the store."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

They arrived only a few hours earlier.

The New York Times - Magazine

The storm began a few hours earlier.

The New York Times

He had died a few hours earlier.

The Guardian

I had spoken to them a few hours earlier.

Independent

It had been the same a few hours earlier.

The Times

I had met Carnahan only a few hours earlier.

The New York Times - Magazine

She told me that a few hours earlier she had walked into a burning building.

The New York Times

A few hours earlier Asif Zardari, Pakistan's new president, made his first speech to parliament.

The Economist

A few hours earlier, an article I wrote about using Twitter was published.

The New York Times

A few hours earlier, he had teed off trailing McIlroy by seven strokes.

The New York Times - Sports

That's because a few hours earlier the Yankees had pulled off the improbable.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a few hours earlier" to clearly establish a sequence of events, providing temporal context for the reader or listener. It's particularly effective when contrasting two related occurrences.

Common error

Avoid using "a few hours earlier" without a clear point of reference. Always ensure the context makes it obvious what event the 'earlier' timeframe is relative to.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a few hours earlier" primarily functions as an adverbial phrase of time, modifying a verb or clause to specify when an action occurred relative to another point in time. Ludwig AI confirms its function in providing temporal context.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

95%

Science

2%

Formal & Business

1%

Less common in

Wiki

1%

Academia

1%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a few hours earlier" is a grammatically sound and versatile adverbial phrase used to specify a time frame preceding a reference point. According to Ludwig AI, it's correct and widely applicable. It's most commonly found in news and media contexts, serving to establish chronological order in narratives. While maintaining a neutral register, the phrase's effectiveness lies in its ability to provide temporal context, and therefore clarity. It is important to avoid vagueness by ensuring a clear point of reference. Related phrases such as "some hours before" and "a couple of hours before" can be used as appropriate alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a couple of hours before

Substitutes 'a few' with 'a couple', suggesting a slightly less vague approximation.

within a couple of hours before

More precise and slightly more verbose.

some hours before

Replaces 'a few' with 'some', which could indicate a slightly less precise estimate of time.

just hours prior

Replaces 'earlier' with the more formal 'prior', indicating a formal register.

a short time before

Uses a more general time frame, focusing on the brevity of the interval.

in the preceding hours

More formal way of expressing the same idea, suitable for academic or professional contexts.

earlier that day

Specifies the context to within the same day, which might be too restrictive depending on the situation.

hours beforehand

Emphasizes that it was prepared or arranged prior to the reference point.

not long before

Emphasizes the recentness of the event without specifying the precise duration.

previously within hours

Highlights the fact that it occurred in a time before now.

FAQs

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

You can use "a few hours earlier" to indicate that something happened before another event. For instance, "The storm began a few hours earlier, causing widespread damage."

What's a more formal alternative to "a few hours earlier"?

A more formal alternative would be "several hours prior" or "in the preceding hours".

Is there a difference between "a few hours earlier" and "a couple of hours earlier"?

The difference is minimal. "A couple of hours earlier" suggests a slightly more specific, though still approximate, timeframe, whereas "a few" is more general.

Can I use "a few hours earlier" at the beginning of a sentence?

Yes, you can. For example, "A few hours earlier, the suspect was seen in the vicinity of the crime scene."