an hour later

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "an hour later" is correct and can be used in written English.
Example Sentence: She finished camp an hour later than what was originally planned.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

Half an hour later, he was dead.

The New Yorker

She was found dead an hour later.

Independent

It crashed an hour later.

The New York Times

Leclaire responded an hour later.

The New Yorker

He died about an hour later.

The New York Times

(The power returned an hour later).

The New York Times

It crashed roughly an hour later.

The New York Times

Goodell left about an hour later.

The New York Times - Sports

About an hour later, the doorbell rang.

The New Yorker

And an hour later, I printed it".

The New York Times - Arts

We came on deck an hour later.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "an hour later" to clearly indicate the sequence of events in narratives, reports, or instructions. This phrase provides a straightforward temporal marker, ensuring clarity and ease of understanding for the reader.

Common error

Avoid using "in an hour" interchangeably with "an hour later" when describing a past event. "In an hour" refers to a future event, while "an hour later" refers to a point in time following a previous event.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "an hour later" functions as an adverbial phrase of time. It modifies a verb by specifying when an action occurred in relation to a previous event. Ludwig shows this phrase is commonly used to indicate temporal sequence.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

82%

Science

9%

Formal & Business

6%

Less common in

Wiki

1%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "an hour later" is a common and grammatically correct temporal phrase used to indicate that an event occurred one hour after a previous event. As Ludwig AI confirms, its usage is widespread across various contexts, including news, science, and business, making it a versatile choice for clear and concise communication. When writing, remember to use "an hour later" to describe past events and avoid confusing it with "in an hour", which refers to future occurrences.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

one hour afterward

Replaces "later" with "afterward" maintaining the same temporal relationship.

an hour from then

Uses "from then" to refer back to a specific point in time.

one hour following that

Uses "following that" in place of "later" to specify the sequence of events.

in one hour

A more concise way of expressing the same time interval.

sixty minutes subsequently

Substitutes "an hour" with its equivalent in minutes and replaces "later" with the more formal "subsequently".

a full hour beyond that point

Emphasizes the duration of the hour before the next event.

after the passage of an hour

More formal and descriptive, highlighting the passing of time.

once an hour had passed

Highlights the completion of the hour before the next event occurs.

in the next hour

Focuses on the hour as a period within which something will occur.

within an hour's time

Indicates that something happens before the end of the one-hour interval.

FAQs

How can I use "an hour later" in a sentence?

The phrase "an hour later" is used to indicate that something happened one hour after a specific event. For example: "The meeting started at 9 AM; "an hour later", it was still ongoing."

What are some alternatives to saying "an hour later"?

Depending on the context, you could use phrases like "one hour afterward", "sixty minutes subsequently", or "in one hour".

Is it correct to say "in an hour" instead of "an hour later"?

While both phrases involve a time frame of one hour, they aren't interchangeable. "In an hour" refers to something happening in the future, while "an hour later" refers to something that happened one hour after a past event.

What's the difference between "an hour later" and "half an hour later"?

"An hour later" indicates a time interval of 60 minutes, whereas "half an hour later" indicates a shorter interval of 30 minutes. The choice depends on the specific duration you want to convey.