an earlier progress

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "an earlier progress" is not correct in standard written English.
It is typically used incorrectly as "progress" is an uncountable noun and does not require an article like "an." Example: "The team made earlier progress on the project before the deadline was extended."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In an earlier progress report, he indicated that the best way to help juries to produce reasoned decisions would be for them to answer structured lists of questions drawn up by the court before the start of the trial.It seems likely that he will recommend that juries should give reasons for their verdicts in order to comply with the new Human Rights Act.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

Second-quarter earnings season is nearly in the books, so we decided to provide an early progress report.

Huffington Post

Gross's arrest had helped choke off earlier progress in talks with the Obama administration.

The Guardian

These patients had earlier progressed on a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor.

Breast Cancer Research

'If you are trying to correct any imbalance, you tend to make a lot of early progress,' says Nicola Brewer.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

She was a performer from an early age, progressing from family gatherings to school talent shows and the dockers' annual Christmas party.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Instead, already in an early stage, progressing tumours reach and possibly infiltrate the pelvic floor muscles, which are continuous with the external sphincter more distally.

European Journal of Cancer, Supplement

Cluster 4 is composed of high risk tumors, with a high risk of progression (multiplicity, bigger size, high grade, and high stage) and with a biological behavior according to these characteristics, with an early relapse, progressing to a MIBC.

BioMed Research International

The new president has been silent on the issue of competition policy and the power of private oligopolists such as Telmex, the telecoms company, and Televisa, a television giant.To make early progress in dissipating political and social tensions, Mr Calderón will have to rely on the fairly limited powers of the executive.

The Economist

To give readers a sense of their early progress, Meddik will be opening its doors over the next few days to a few hundred early participants.

TechCrunch

Mr. Hague said he had pressed the rebel leaders to make early progress on a more detailed plan for a post-Qaddafi government that would include sharing power with some of Colonel Qaddafi's loyalists.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to progress in general, omit the article. For example, write "earlier progress was made" instead of "an earlier progress was made".

Common error

Avoid using the indefinite article "an" before "progress". "Progress" is typically an uncountable noun, so it doesn't require "a" or "an" unless you're referring to a specific instance that can be counted in some unusual way. Instead of saying "an earlier progress", use "earlier progress" or "some earlier progress".

Linguistic Context

The phrase is intended to function as a noun phrase, specifying a previous instance of advancement or development. However, due to the typical uncountable nature of "progress", the article usage is grammatically incorrect, as highlighted by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "an earlier progress" is generally considered grammatically incorrect because "progress" is usually an uncountable noun. As noted by Ludwig, it's better to omit the article or use alternatives like ""previous progress"", ""prior progress"", or ""initial progress"". While examples exist in news and scientific contexts, the incorrect usage lowers its overall quality and appropriateness for formal writing. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid using "an earlier progress" in your writing and instead opt for grammatically sound alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous progress

Replaces the article "an" and adjective "earlier" with the adjective "previous" while keeping the noun "progress".

prior progress

Uses "prior" instead of "earlier" as a synonym denoting precedence in time.

initial progress

Replaces "earlier" with "initial", emphasizing the beginning stages of advancement.

preceding progress

Employs "preceding" to indicate progress that came before the current point.

antecedent progress

Substitutes "earlier" with "antecedent" to highlight progress that occurred previously and influenced the present situation.

early headway

Replaces "progress" with "headway", indicating initial advancement or momentum.

preliminary advancement

Uses "preliminary advancement" to emphasize the preparatory nature of the progress.

early development

Shifts the focus to "development" instead of "progress", highlighting the initial stages of growth or evolution.

prior advancement

Replaces "progress" with advancement and emphasizes its occurrence before the present.

initial strides

Uses the idiom "initial strides" to represent the beginning stages of progress or achievement.

FAQs

How can I correctly use the word "progress" in a sentence?

Use "progress" as an uncountable noun without the article "a" or "an" before it. For example, say "Significant progress was made" instead of "A significant progress was made."

Is it grammatically correct to say "a progress" or "an progress"?

No, it is generally incorrect. "Progress" is usually an uncountable noun and doesn't take the articles "a" or "an". Instead, use "progress" without an article, or use phrases like "some progress" or "a degree of progress" if you want to quantify it.

What are some alternative ways to say "earlier progress"?

You can use phrases like "previous progress", "prior progress", or "initial progress".

What is the difference between "progress" and "advancement"?

"Progress" generally refers to movement towards a goal or improvement, while "advancement" suggests moving forward in a career, status, or level. Both are often used interchangeably, but "advancement" carries a stronger connotation of upward movement. Therefore, you can consider using "prior advancement".