last summer

USAGE SUMMARY

'last summer' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to refer to the summer prior to the current one. For example, "Last summer, I went on an amazing trip to visit my relatives."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Sport

Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Last summer the Electoral Commission said 7.5 million eligible voters were not registered, with poor, black and young people least likely to be on the electoral roll.

The Guardian

David Moyes's first night as manager at Old Trafford last summer was one to forget, with Sevilla inflicting a 3-1 chasing that turned out to be a sign of things to come.

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

The last one was in 1989.

The Economist

His record - two cups within six months of his appointment, a domestic treble in his first full season, a second title in 2005 and reaching the last 16 of the Champions League - set the context for a rueful but masterfully understated parting comment: "I'm sure those people who look at the facts will say that during a period of downsizing, I was reasonably successful".

The Guardian - Sport

The order book was down slightly at £3.6bn from the last update in June but well ahead of the £3.3bn reported this time last year.

The Guardian - Business

This was the summer of 1967.

The New York Times

Last year, during David Cameron's trip to Beijing, the same paper announced that Britain was "just an old European country apt [that is, suitable] for travel and study".

The Guardian - Opinion

Referred to in court as D, she entered a not guilty plea to a charge of intimidation last week while wearing a niqab after the judge backed down from a previous decision that she would have to show her face to be properly identified.

The Guardian

As a result, the country lost a further 21 positions in the policy evaluation compared to last year, thus replacing Canada as the worst-performing industrial country".

The Guardian

"Scoring is not up, but injuries are up," Tallon said of the current rule last week.

The New York Times

Since last July the state has opted to use just one massive dose of the sedative pentobarbital as its lethal injection, instead of a cocktail of three different drugs.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "last summer", ensure the context clearly indicates which year you are referring to, especially if discussing events across multiple years. If there is ambiguity about the temporal placement of "last summer", clarify which year it refers to.

Common error

Avoid mixing past and present tenses when describing events from "last summer". Stick to the past tense for actions and states that occurred during that time.

Linguistic Context

Last summer functions as an adverbial phrase of time, specifying when an action or state occurred. Ludwig confirms this, as the phrase is used to set a temporal context in the provided examples. It modifies verbs by indicating a specific past time frame.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Sport

20%

Business

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "last summer" is a grammatically sound and commonly understood way to refer to the summer season immediately preceding the current year. As confirmed by Ludwig, its primary function is to provide temporal context in news reports, personal narratives, and other forms of communication. While Ludwig's examples are limited, the phrase maintains a neutral register and is suitable for both formal and informal settings. Remember to use the past tense when describing events from "last summer" to maintain grammatical consistency. Consider alternative phrases such as "previous summer" or "summer before last" for different nuances or to avoid repetition.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous summer

Replaces "last" with "previous", maintaining the reference to the immediately preceding summer.

last year's summer

Emphasizes the summer belonging to the previous year.

that past summer

Uses "that past" to refer to a summer already mentioned or understood in the context.

the summer just gone

A more colloquial way of referring to the summer that has recently ended.

the preceding summer

Similar to "summer of the previous year" but more concise.

summer of the previous year

A more formal way of saying "last summer", using "the previous year" instead of "last".

the summer we just had

Informal phrasing emphasizing the recent passing of the summer season.

in the summer prior

A slightly more formal and less common alternative to "last summer".

summer before last

Indicates the summer two years prior to the current year, shifting the temporal focus further back.

the summer before

A shortened version of "summer before last", if the context makes it clear which year is being referred to.

FAQs

How do I use "last summer" in a sentence?

Use "last summer" to refer to the summer season immediately preceding the current year. For example, "Last summer, we went on vacation to Italy".

What is another way to say "last summer"?

Alternatives include "previous summer", "summer before last" (for two years ago), or "summer of the previous year".

Is it correct to say "the last summer" instead of "last summer"?

While "the last summer" isn't grammatically incorrect, it usually implies the final summer of something, like "the last summer of his life." "Last summer" is generally preferred for referring to the previous summer season.

Can I use "last summer" to refer to a summer in the distant past?

While technically possible if clarified with a year (e.g., "last summer, in 1995"), it's more common to use "that summer" or "the summer of [year]" for summers further in the past to avoid confusion.