called me early

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "called me early" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to someone who contacted you by phone at an early time, typically in the morning. Example: "She called me early to discuss the plans for the day."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

5 human-written examples

"Somebody called me early in the morning," Toomer said.

The New York Times - Sports

"He called me early in the morning and told me he was coming to get me," Lee said of Big Irv.

The New York Times - Sports

In fact, she explains that "the people who do well are those who called me early [in the process]." At OCCAM, Smith is there to provide cancer investigators with strategies for applying, as well as technical assistance.

Science Magazine

He called me early in 2009.

Huffington Post

My boss called me early in 2014 and said that management was making a change.

HuffPost

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

When I approached him after the meal, the best he had to offer was, "You should have called me earlier".

The New York Times

[His father] had called me earlier that day to ask me what my badge number was because I'd just been promoted to captain and he said Blair wanted to buy me an exact replica of the badge for Mother's Day.

Huffington Post

I felt if the duty doctor had plotted her partograph she would have at least called me earlier.

BMJ Open

A Syrian friend calls me early.

Independent

By Edith Franklin Wyatt The New Yorker, May 1 , 1937P. 31 You must wake and call me early, call me early, Mother View Article By Malcolm Gladwell By Rivka Galchen By T.

The New Yorker

Ok I need a record deal jimmy iovine, call me early tomorrow or I'm putting out another mix tape.

Independent

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "called me early", consider adding context about the reason for the early call to make the statement more meaningful and engaging for the reader.

Common error

Avoid using "called me early" when the time of the call wasn't actually that early. Ensure the context makes it clear the call was received much earlier than a typical or expected time. Instead, be specific. If it was at 10 AM, avoid "early" and use 10 AM.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "called me early" functions as a declarative statement indicating that the speaker received a communication, specifically a call, during the early part of the day. Ludwig shows it is commonly used to set the scene or provide context for a narrative.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

70%

Academia

15%

Science

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "called me early" is a grammatically correct and usable phrase in English, as affirmed by Ludwig. While not exceedingly common, it effectively conveys that someone received a phone call during the early hours of the day. It is frequently used in news and media contexts and possesses a neutral register suitable for various forms of communication. If you want to diversify your writing, you can substitute it with alternatives like "phoned me early" or "rang me early". When using this phrase, ensure the context highlights the significance of the early timing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

phoned me early

Replaces "called" with "phoned", maintaining the meaning of contacting someone via telephone at an early hour.

rang me early

Uses "rang" instead of "called", keeping the sense of an early morning phone call.

gave me an early call

Uses a different verb structure but communicates the same information.

contacted me in the early morning

More formal, replacing "called" with "contacted" and specifying "early morning" instead of "early".

called me bright and early

Adds an intensifier to 'early', emphasizing the earliness of the call.

I received an early call from them

Switches the sentence structure to emphasize the reception of the call.

called me at the crack of dawn

Replaces "early" with a more vivid idiom.

they called me before dawn

Specifies the time frame as before dawn.

woke me up with a call

Emphasizes the interruption of sleep, adding emotional context.

reached out to me early

Replaces "called" with a more general term 'reached out', which may include calls or messages.

FAQs

What does "called me early" mean?

The phrase "called me early" means that someone contacted you by phone or another communication method during the early hours of the morning, typically before the usual start of the workday.

How can I use "called me early" in a sentence?

You can use it like this: "My boss "called me early" to discuss the urgent project deadline."

What are some alternatives to saying "called me early"?

Some alternatives include "phoned me early", "rang me early", or "contacted me in the early morning" depending on the level of formality you need.

Is it more appropriate to say "called me early" or "called me earlier"?

"Called me earlier" implies the call happened at some unspecified time in the past, before another event. "Called me early" refers to a specific time of day. Choose the phrase that best fits the context.