once prior

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "once prior" is not standard in written English and may cause confusion.
It could be used in contexts where you want to refer to something that happened one time before another event, but it is better to use clearer alternatives. Example: "The meeting was scheduled once prior to the final decision being made."

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

She was pushed past the first round only once prior to losing the title to Holly Holm in Australia over the weekend.

The Guardian - Sport

Slotin vomited once prior to being examined, and several times more in the next few hours, but stopped by the next morning.

The New Yorker

On release from a further period of house arrest in 2002, she was allowed to travel outside Rangoon, but only once prior authorisation had been sought from the regime.

The Guardian

This problem is performed once, prior to the cell loading, using two cell formation methods from the literature.

IFAC Proceedings Volumes

Twenty-five persons with PD were recorded using a variety of speech tasks, once prior to and once following PVP.

Journal of Voice

The quantitative data was gathered twice; once prior to the innovation intervention and again after the intervention was completed.

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The data was collected twice; once prior to any formal training and, again, after the training was completed.

Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

They performed a series of computerised tests of attention and memory, once prior to breakfast and three times following breakfast at hourly intervals.

Appetite

Furthermore, since the method is dependent on geometry, not deformation, it only needs to be applied once, prior to simulation, as the mesh deformation is decoupled from the point selection process.

Journal of Computational Physics

Once, prior to a micro-spin column procedure to maximize the amount of DNA extracted, and a second time, just prior to PCR to optimize the PCR reaction conditions.

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

All of the patients were evaluated a total of 13 times, once prior to the introduction of primidone and the other 12 evaluations following the initiation of the treatment.

Parkinsonism & Related Disorders

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the context. In some cases, rephrasing the sentence to avoid "once prior" altogether may lead to a more natural and impactful statement.

Common error

Relying too heavily on "once prior" can make your writing sound repetitive. Vary your language by using synonyms or restructuring sentences to avoid this phrase altogether.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "once prior" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb or clause to indicate when an action occurred in relation to another. It specifies a single instance happening before a particular event. This is supported by Ludwig examples showing temporal relationships.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

70%

News & Media

15%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Encyclopedias

1%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "once prior" is generally understandable and frequently used, especially in scientific and technical contexts, it is not always the most stylistically elegant or concise option. As highlighted by Ludwig, alternatives such as "previously" or "once before" often provide improved clarity and flow. Consider the context and your audience when deciding whether to use "once prior" or opt for a more common alternative. Ludwig examples show a wide spectrum of usages, from science papers to news article, where the temporal sequence has to be stated.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

once before

More common and natural-sounding alternative with similar meaning.

one time before

Expands "once" to "one time" for emphasis or clarity.

previously

Single word replacing the two-word phrase for brevity.

on a previous occasion

Specifies that the event occurred on a separate, earlier instance.

earlier

Implies a point in time before a specific event.

prior to this occasion

More verbose and formal rephrasing.

in the past

Broader reference to any time before the present or a given event.

ahead of time

Focuses on completing something before a deadline or scheduled event.

antecedently

A more formal and less common synonym for previously.

in anticipation

Emphasizes preparing for something before it happens.

FAQs

What can I say instead of "once prior"?

You can use alternatives like "previously", "once before", or restructure the sentence to avoid the phrase altogether.

Is "once prior" grammatically correct?

While understandable, "once prior" is not the most common or stylistically preferred phrase. It's better to use alternatives for clearer and more natural writing.

How can I use "once prior" in a sentence?

You can use "once prior" to indicate an event happened one time before another event, but consider alternatives for improved clarity. For example, "The data was collected twice; once prior to the training and again after the training."

Which is better, "once prior" or "previously"?

"Previously" is generally preferred over "once prior" due to its conciseness and wider acceptance in formal writing.