at the last time

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "at the last time" is not correct in standard written English.
It is likely intended to convey a sense of finality or the most recent occurrence, but the phrasing is awkward and unclear. Example: "At the last time we spoke, you mentioned your plans for the weekend."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

(Bottom) In Patient P16, tumor burden decreased over time and was stable at the last time point.

Nature

Elkin said Mack did not have counsel at the last time he spoke to her, which was early on Tuesday morning.

The Guardian

These samples span from the entirety of the event – midnight at the earliest time zone to midnight at the last time.

The Guardian - Opinion

On the negative side… if you look at the last time of massive radicalisation of students in '68, it didn't amount to all that much.

The Guardian - Books

The vAtue of is the same for all types of flows, whereas the window size givenlarger as timeclaslotrisrity of flows determined

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

BBC Scotland takes a look back at the last time the clubs met in the competition in 2001.

BBC

The heart/liver ratio (Figure 3A) remained between 2 and 2.5 for almost the entire scan and reach a maximum (2.382 ± 0.588) at the last time interval.

EJNMMI Research

In Fig. 2a, it can be seen that the filtering process needs only a forward step for estimating the state at the last time point.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

17It is worth noting that the sample becomes very small at the last time point because only those with longer waiting time are included.

IZA Journal of Labor Policy

In most cases, a large moment release at the last time window was suggested to be errors owing to uncertainties in the inversion analysis.

Earth, Planets and Space

It might be instructive to take a look at the last time Orman filmed a commercial for the automobile industry, back in 2004.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "at the last time" in formal writing. Instead, opt for more grammatically sound alternatives like "the last time" or "the final time".

Common error

A common mistake is adding unnecessary prepositions when referring to time. Stick to "the last time" instead of the grammatically awkward "at the last time" for clearer and more accurate writing.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "at the last time" functions as an adverbial phrase intending to specify when something occurred. However, Ludwig AI indicates that it is grammatically incorrect. It aims to modify a verb by providing a temporal reference, though the incorrect preposition usage undermines its effectiveness.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "at the last time" is used to denote a recent occurrence, it is considered grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI flags it as non-standard, advising against its use. Instead, opting for alternatives like "the last time" or "the final time" ensures clarity and correctness. Though examples appear in both scientific and news contexts, it’s best to avoid this phrase in formal writing to maintain grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

the last time

Omits the preposition "at", resulting in a grammatically correct and more common phrasing.

the final time

Emphasizes the finality of the instance, rather than just the recency.

the most recent time

Highlights the fact that it is the most up-to-date occurrence.

the previous time

Focuses on the immediately preceding instance.

the last occasion

Substitutes "time" with "occasion", providing a slight variation in wording.

the latest instance

Replaces "time" with "instance", which is slightly more formal.

the concluding time

Stresses the termination point of a process or event.

the ultimate time

Implies a sense of culmination or the end of a series of events.

the most recent occurrence

Uses more formal language to convey the same meaning of the most recent event.

the last iteration

Suggests that this is the latest repetition or version in a series.

FAQs

How can I properly use the phrase "the last time" in a sentence?

Use "the last time" to refer to the most recent occurrence of something. For example, "The last time I saw him, he was doing well."

What's the difference between "at the last time" and "the last time"?

The phrase "at the last time" is grammatically incorrect. The correct way to say it is "the last time", without the "at".

Is "at the last moment" a better alternative to "at the last time"?

Yes, "at the last moment" is a correct and commonly used phrase, but it refers to a point in time just before it's too late, unlike "the last time" which refers to the most recent occasion.

What are some alternatives to "the last time"?

Depending on the context, you could use "the final time", "the most recent time", or "the previous time".