a previous intern

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a previous intern" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to someone who held an internship position before the current time or before a specific event. Example: "During the meeting, we discussed the feedback provided by a previous intern who worked on the project."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

While I was there I overheard that a previous intern was still badgering them to pay her expenses when she had left four months ago, so I suppose I should have expected it".

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Similarly, a previous editorial intern filed a lawsuit against Charlie Rose, after feeling her time spent at the television talk show violated labor laws because she didn't receive training and was unpaid.

Huffington Post

Check out previous Intern Diaries here: Ivy League Student working at Top Magazine Female College Student works in PR in NY College Graduate at a NYC-based Magazine.

Huffington Post

Ohlendorf had spent a previous winter as an intern in the finance office of the University of Texas system.

The New York Times

It has been said that studying abroad can give applicants an edge in the job market, but more than likely an employer would rather see previous interning and work experience listed on a candidate's resume.

Huffington Post

Prospective interns should ask supervisors to describe the projects to which they will be assigned and chat with previous interns before making a decision.

The New York Times

However, just a third of graduate intakes are comprised of previous interns, so there are plenty of graduate jobs that don't go to interns.

The Guardian

Paris-based Arquilliere, a recent student and a previous product marketing intern with Google, launched an experimental version of ZenTracker a few weeks ago, based on the limited public API of Latitude.

TechCrunch

Interns in this study reported high levels of experience of catheterization compared with those in a previous survey of first year interns in the UK published by the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2010, which found that one in five had never performed male catheterization and nearly half (45%) had never performed female catheter [ 7].

BMC Medical Education

A previous study demonstrated that nurses completed 95% of the records, while interns completed 86% of them [ 11].

BMC Health Services Research

Interns were excluded from this study because they did not have a previous in-training examination for self-comparison.

International Journal of Emergency Medicine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

If you need to emphasize the intern's departure, consider using "a former intern" instead of "a previous intern".

Common error

Avoid ambiguity by clearly specifying that you are referring to someone who is no longer an intern. Using "a previous intern" helps avoid confusion with those currently in the role.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a previous intern" functions as a noun phrase, specifically as an adjective phrase modifying the noun "intern". It identifies a specific intern based on their temporal relationship to the present or a defined timeframe. Ludwig AI shows numerous examples of its usage across diverse contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Academia

5%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a previous intern" is a grammatically correct and frequently used phrase to refer to someone who held an internship in the past. As Ludwig AI confirms, it appears across a variety of contexts, including news, science, and business, indicating its broad applicability. While alternatives like ""a former intern"" or ""an earlier intern"" exist, "a previous intern" remains a clear and effective way to distinguish past interns from current ones.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a former intern

Replaces "previous" with "former", indicating a past role.

an earlier intern

Substitutes "previous" with "earlier", suggesting a point further back in time.

a past intern

Uses "past" instead of "previous", emphasizing the completed nature of the internship.

a prior intern

Replaces "previous" with "prior", indicating precedence.

an intern in the past

Rephrases to include "in the past", making the past nature of the internship explicit.

an intern who used to work here

More descriptive, specifying that the intern no longer works at the organization.

a one-time intern

Emphasizes the singular, completed nature of the internship.

an intern from before

Informal phrasing, indicating a time before the present.

the intern before

Shortened version, implying a sequence of interns.

a preceding intern

Uses "preceding", suggesting a direct sequence or order.

FAQs

How can I use "a previous intern" in a sentence?

You can use "a previous intern" to refer to someone who held an internship position in the past. For example, "We implemented a suggestion from "a previous intern" to improve our workflow."

What's a good alternative to saying "a previous intern"?

Alternatives include "a former intern", "an earlier intern", or "a past intern", depending on the context and the nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to say "a previous intern" or "a former intern"?

Both "a previous intern" and "a former intern" are correct. "Former" might slightly emphasize that the person is no longer associated with the company, while "previous" simply indicates that the internship occurred before the current time.

Can I use "a previous intern" to refer to someone who is now a full-time employee?

Yes, you can still refer to them as "a previous intern" to highlight their initial role, especially when discussing work they did during their internship. You could also say, "They started as "an intern" and are now a full-time employee."