before he finished

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "before he finished" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something occurred prior to the completion of an action or task by a male subject. Example: "She left the room before he finished his presentation."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

People began drifting away before he finished.

The New Yorker

But some left before he finished.

The New York Times

First, Babbage developed a sequel before he finished the original.

University of California, Berkeley

Grainger died before he finished this last piece.

Yale University

It was trending before he finished the video.

The New Yorker

But before he finished, no posters were left.

The New York Times - Tech

The good news was, before he finished the hole, he had a five-shot lead.

The New York Times

Shortly before he finished this book, doctors diagnosed the cancer that would kill him.

The New York Times - Books

But Mr. Gay died before he finished listing where everything came from.

The New York Times - Arts

ATLANTA — Jon Niese grimaced even before he finished his follow-through.

The New York Times - Sports

Immanuel Kant worked as a family tutor for nine years before he finished university.

Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "before he finished" to clearly indicate that one action occurred prior to the completion of another action by a male subject. Ensure the context provides a clear understanding of what "he" refers to.

Common error

Avoid ambiguity by ensuring the referent of "he" is unequivocally clear within the surrounding text. If the context doesn't immediately identify who "he" is, rephrase for clarity to prevent misinterpretations.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "before he finished" functions as an adverbial clause of time. This clause modifies the main clause by specifying when the action in the main clause occurred, relative to the completion of an action by a male subject. Ludwig AI confirms this widespread usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Academia

25%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Science

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "before he finished" is a grammatically sound and frequently used construction that functions as an adverbial clause of time. Ludwig AI analysis confirms its correctness and widespread usage across diverse contexts, from news and media to academic and encyclopedic sources. When using this phrase, ensure the referent of "he" is unambiguous to avoid confusion. Alternatives such as "before he completed" or "prior to his finishing" can be considered for stylistic variation, although they carry slightly different nuances.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

before he completed

Replaces "finished" with a more formal synonym, "completed".

prior to his finishing

Uses a prepositional phrase to indicate sequence, shifting the grammatical structure.

before he was done

Employs a more colloquial expression, using "done" instead of "finished".

ahead of his completion

Uses "ahead of" to emphasize the timing relative to the completion.

previous to him finishing

A slightly more formal phrasing, substituting "before" with "previous to".

even before he concluded

Adds emphasis with "even before", and replaces "finished" with "concluded".

until he had finished

Uses "until" to indicate the duration leading up to the completion.

while he was still finishing

Focuses on the ongoing process of finishing, rather than the point before completion.

in advance of him finishing

Uses "in advance of" to indicate something happening before the act of finishing.

before the completion by him

A more passive and structurally different way to express the same idea.

FAQs

How can I use "before he finished" in a sentence?

Use "before he finished" to show that one action happened before another action was completed by a male subject. For example: "She left the room "before he finished" his presentation."

What are some alternatives to "before he finished"?

You can use phrases like "before he completed", "prior to his finishing", or "before he was done" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it grammatically correct to say "before he finished"?

Yes, "before he finished" is grammatically correct. It's a common and acceptable way to indicate that something occurred prior to the completion of an action.

What's the difference between "before he finished" and "after he finished"?

"Before he finished" indicates an action happened prior to completion, while "after he finished" indicates an action happened following completion.