before completing

USAGE SUMMARY

"before completing" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it in a sentence to refer to something that needs to be done before something else is finished. For example: "I need to finish my report before completing the presentation."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Klimt died before completing it.

The Guardian - Arts

The department will seek public comment before completing the rule.

The New York Times

On one play, CHAD PENNINGTON slipped before completing a pass.

The New York Times - Sports

Before completing the proof, we need the following technical lemma.

Journal of Inequalities and Applications

Six patients discontinued therapy secondary to toxicity before completing 3 cycles.

Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations

In the automotive industry, some parts fail before completing their design life.

Materials & Design

Before completing the proof of the property (a), we introduce some notations and lemmas first.

Boundary Value Problems

All participants provided written, informed consent before completing any of the assessments.

Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training

Before completing the SPQ, patients were instructed how to fill in the questionnaire.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

We establish three lemmas before completing the proof of Theorem 3.1.

Journal of Inequalities and Applications

Due to a bug, passwords were written to an internal log before completing the hashing process.

TechCrunch

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "before completing", ensure the sentence clearly indicates what action needs to be finished. Clarity prevents ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid placing "before completing" too far from the action it modifies. This can create a dangling modifier, confusing the sentence's meaning.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "before completing" functions as a prepositional phrase, acting as an adverbial modifier. It introduces a temporal clause that specifies the timing of an action relative to the completion of another action. As Ludwig shows, it indicates a prerequisite.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

48%

News & Media

27%

Formal & Business

7%

Less common in

Wiki

7%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "before completing" is a versatile and grammatically sound prepositional phrase used to denote temporal precedence. As indicated by Ludwig AI, it's widely used across various domains, including science, news, and business. When using "before completing", ensure clarity and proper placement to avoid ambiguity. While alternatives like "prior to finishing" and "ahead of finalizing" exist, "before completing" remains a straightforward and effective choice. Therefore, understanding its function and purpose enhances the precision and clarity of your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

prior to finishing

Replaces "completing" with "finishing" and uses "prior to" instead of "before".

ahead of finalizing

Substitutes "before" with "ahead of" and "completing" with "finalizing".

in advance of concluding

Uses the more formal "in advance of" for "before" and "concluding" for "completing".

previous to ending

Replaces "before" with "previous to" and "completing" with "ending".

antecedent to accomplishing

Utilizes the more formal terms "antecedent to" and "accomplishing".

preceding the finish

Changes the structure to focus on the "finish" as a noun rather than a verb.

sooner than the conclusion of

Emphasizes the timing relative to the "conclusion of" something.

first of all

Indicates a task needs to be done as a first action, but loses the explicit connection to 'completing'.

preliminary to the fulfillment of

A more formal and somewhat verbose way of saying "before completing".

until finished

Reverses the order, focusing on the state of being finished.

FAQs

How can I use "before completing" in a sentence?

Use "before completing" to indicate an action that must occur prior to finishing another. For example: "Review the document "before completing" the submission process".

What are some alternatives to "before completing"?

You can use phrases like "prior to finishing", "ahead of finalizing", or "in advance of concluding" as alternatives to "before completing", depending on the context.

Is there a more formal way to say "before completing"?

Yes, "in advance of concluding" or "antecedent to accomplishing" are more formal options compared to "before completing".

Can "before completing" be used at the beginning of a sentence?

Yes, "before completing" can start a sentence, functioning as an adverbial phrase. For example: "Before completing the survey, please read the instructions carefully".