it fairly late

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "it fairly late" is not correct in English.
Did you mean "it's fairly late"? If this is the case, you can use this phrase to indicate that the time is relatively late in the day or evening. Example: "I think we should head home now because it's fairly late."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Boeing's coming to it fairly late.

The New Yorker

I am a fan of modern art, increasingly so, although I came to it fairly late.

The Guardian

I'd left it fairly late, like many women, through circumstances rather than design.

The Guardian - Opinion

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

It's fairly late in the nominating process.

The New York Times

Fowler attended a public meeting with him in Stanley: "It was fairly late in the evening.

The Guardian

It was fairly late in the evening, so there wasn't much chance that the restaurant was going to have a great many new arrivals and new orders — a relevant detail.

The New York Times

It is said that sorghum was first domesticated in Africa; the date of its introduction to this area is unclear, but the absence of an ST root and of a TB root means that it is fairly late.

Rice

MixRadio claims to have "millions" of monthly active users through its distribution via Lumia devices — it didn't provide a figure for its total registered userbase — but launching on iOS and Android brings the potential to vastly increase that figure, even if it is fairly late to the scene and only a radio service.

TechCrunch

MixRadio claims to have "millions" of monthly active users through its distribution via Lumia devices — it didn't provide a figure for its total registered userbase — but launching on iOS and Android brings the potential to vastly increase that figure, even if it is fairly late to the scene and only a radio service.

TechCrunch

We had been out attending an event at the Los Angeles Press Club — yes, we're such journalism dorks we do this during our free time — and it was fairly late.

Los Angeles Times

"It was only fairly late in the evening that it really became clear, somebody had done something deliberately".

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use the contracted form "it's" or the full form "it is" before "fairly late" to ensure grammatical correctness. For example, prefer saying "It's fairly late, let's go home" instead of "it fairly late".

Common error

A frequent mistake is omitting the necessary auxiliary verb ('is' or 'was') when using "fairly late". Always remember to include "it is" or "it's" to avoid grammatical errors.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "it fairly late" functions as an incomplete statement due to the absence of the auxiliary verb 'is'. As Ludwig AI correctly indicates, this omission renders the phrase grammatically incorrect. Complete sentences would include "it is" or "it's".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

30%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "it fairly late" is grammatically incorrect due to the missing auxiliary verb "is". While attempts to use this phrase may aim to convey that the time is advanced, it's essential to use either "it is fairly late" or "it's fairly late" to ensure grammatical accuracy. As Ludwig AI points out, omitting 'is' results in an incomplete and incorrect statement. Consider using alternatives like "it's quite late" or "it's rather late" for clarity and correctness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

it's quite late

Uses "quite" instead of "fairly" to modify "late", providing a grammatically sound alternative.

it's rather late

Substitutes "fairly" with "rather", resulting in a grammatically correct and commonly used expression.

it is fairly late

Adds the contraction "is" to make the phrase grammatically correct.

it's getting late

Indicates that the time is advancing towards being late, focusing on the process.

it's a late hour

Rephrases the idea using "hour" to emphasize the lateness of the time.

the hour is late

Uses a more formal tone to indicate that the time is late.

it's past my bedtime

Uses an idiomatic expression to convey it is late and time for sleep.

time is getting on

Employs a more figurative expression to indicate that time is passing and it's getting late.

it's almost morning

Highlights how late it is by emphasizing the proximity to morning.

it is well into the night

Emphasizes that it is indeed late in the night.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "it fairly late"?

The correct way to express this is to include the auxiliary verb "is", either in its full form as "it is fairly late" or the contracted form as "it's fairly late".

What does "it's fairly late" mean?

The phrase "it's fairly late" means that the current time is relatively late in the day or evening. It suggests that it might be time to do something else, such as go home or go to bed.

Are there other ways to say "it's fairly late"?

Yes, you can use alternatives like "it's quite late" or "it's rather late". These phrases convey a similar meaning with slightly different emphasis.

Is "it fairly late" grammatically correct?

No, "it fairly late" is not grammatically correct. The auxiliary verb "is" is missing. The correct forms are "it is fairly late" or "it's fairly late".