before continuing

USAGE SUMMARY

'before continuing' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when there is an interruption in a process that needs to be resumed. For example: "Listen carefully to the instructions before continuing the experiment."

✓ Grammatically correct

Wiki

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Let everything dry before continuing.

WikiHow

Let the glue dry before continuing.

WikiHow

Let the stain remover dry before continuing.

WikiHow

Allow the glue to dry before continuing.

WikiHow

Let the house dry before continuing.

WikiHow

Let it dry before continuing with the process.

WikiHow

He pauses, before continuing.

The Guardian

She took several deep breaths before continuing.

The New York Times

He had to gather himself before continuing.

The New York Times - Magazine

He takes a long pause, before continuing.

Independent

He shook his head before continuing.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "before continuing" to clearly signal a necessary pause or prerequisite, ensuring the reader understands the order of operations or importance of prior steps.

Common error

Avoid using "before continuing" when the reason for pausing is unclear. Always ensure the sentence or paragraph provides enough context to understand what must happen before proceeding.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "before continuing" functions as a prepositional phrase indicating a temporal relationship. It specifies that an action or process should be completed before another one begins. Ludwig provides numerous examples illustrating this usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Wiki

40%

News & Media

35%

Science

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Academia

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "before continuing" serves as a versatile prepositional phrase used to signal a necessary pause or prerequisite before proceeding with an action. Ludwig confirms its grammatical correctness and widespread usability across diverse contexts, ranging from informal wikis to formal news reports. While alternatives exist for specialized writing scenarios, it remains a clear and commonly understood directive. It's important to ensure adequate context is provided to avoid ambiguity. The usage frequency is very common.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

prior to proceeding

Emphasizes the temporal order more formally.

subsequent to this step

Formal and emphasizes sequential order.

after this preparation

Highlights the preparatory aspect.

following this action

Highlights the action that precedes the continuation.

on the condition that

Formal, clearly stating a requirement.

once this is complete

Stresses the completion of a task as a requirement.

provided that

Similar to 'on the condition that' but slightly less formal.

once that is addressed

Focuses on resolving a specific issue first.

only then

Short and emphatic, highlighting the conditionality.

but first

Informal and direct, emphasizing a priority.

FAQs

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

You can use "before continuing" to indicate a necessary pause or prerequisite. For example, "Let the glue dry "before continuing" with the project."

What are some alternatives to "before continuing"?

Some alternatives to "before continuing" include "prior to proceeding", "after this preparation", or "subsequent to this step".

Is "before continuing" formal or informal?

"Before continuing" is generally considered neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts, although alternatives like "prior to proceeding" might be more appropriate for highly formal writing.

When should I not use "before continuing"?

Avoid using "before continuing" if the reason for the pause is already obvious or if it adds unnecessary wordiness to your sentence. Ensure the context requires explicit instruction to pause.