preceding few hours

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "preceding few hours" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to the hours that came before a specific event or moment in time. Example: "In the preceding few hours, we had experienced several unexpected delays that affected our schedule."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Smoking status, however, was ascertained using carbon monoxide (CO) breath tests, which only assesses smoking in the preceding few hours, and could thus overestimate quit rates.

Addiction

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Testing for CO levels using a breath test assesses smoking in the preceding one to four hours whereas cotinine analysis from blood, urine or saliva samples can measure exposure to smoking in the preceding few days [ 29].

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Mr Wells' apology might have cut more ice with the critics if it had not been preceded a few hours earlier with a non apology issued through the party press office at 11 minutes past midnight.

BBC

On the other hand, the pulsations are also related to the SW speed, preceding it by a few hours; such additional correlation is probably intrinsic due to the SW structure itself (Takahashi and Ukhorskiy 2008), since a fast SW stream typically follows by a few hours the interaction region where the IMF and SW pressure variations are largest.

Earth, Planets and Space

Population average locomotor activity patterns suggest that the few hours preceding the morning light transition also exhibit geographic variation.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

John Boehner's speech on Iraq (which, though it preceded Obama's by a few hours, was a kind of Republican response) proved that the opposition has no interest in Iraq, except as yet another weapon to use against Obama.

The New Yorker

In addition, a clear correlation with Vsw is observed with the geomagnetic pulsation power preceding the SW speed by a few hours; the time delay is shorter at TNB (6 to 9 h) than at GOES and AQU (9 to 12 h).

Earth, Planets and Space

This massacre, occurring on the evening of March 20, preceded Clinton's arrival by only a few hours.

The New York Times - Magazine

Moreover, FFA levels were observed to precede the peaking of FGF-21 by a few hours, suggesting that the increase in FFA might have a role in inducing the peaking of FGF-21.

Diabetes Care

Heavy alcohol consumption was five or more 30-50-ml 30-50-ml 30-50-mlalcohol drinks of five 330-ml bottlestrongeer within alcoholours at any time in the precedrinksorth.

BMC Infectious Diseases

However, time course analyses of vehicle- and compound-treated ESCs demonstrated that changes in core pluripotency gene expression occurred within a few hours of BET inhibitor treatment, substantially preceding proliferation arrest and establishment of a differentiated state.

Cell Reports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing events in the "preceding few hours", ensure you provide clear context or a reference point so the reader knows what time frame you are referring to.

Common error

Avoid using "preceding few hours" when a more specific timeframe is necessary. If the exact hours are relevant, specify them instead of using an ambiguous term like "few".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "preceding few hours" functions as an adjectival phrase modifying a noun (often implied or directly stated) to indicate a time duration immediately before a certain point. Ludwig confirms its correct usage.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

35%

Science

35%

Formal & Business

30%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "preceding few hours" is a grammatically sound and frequently employed term to denote a brief period leading up to a certain event. As Ludwig AI confirms, the phrase is mostly used in news or science contexts. When using the phrase, ensure clarity by specifying the reference point to make the timeframe clear to the audience. More specific timeframes should be included if the exact hour matters. Consider alternatives such as "previous couple of hours", or "shortly before" in order to add variety in writing or speech.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous couple of hours

Changes the quantifier to "couple", implying a duration closer to two hours.

earlier couple of hours

Replaces "preceding" with "earlier" and uses "couple" for a slightly less precise duration.

prior several hours

Substitutes "few" with "several", suggesting a slightly longer duration.

hours leading up to

Focuses on the lead-up to an event, rather than a distinct period.

hours beforehand

Uses a more general term "beforehand" instead of specifying the exact number of hours.

immediate past hours

Replaces "preceding few" with "immediate past" emphasizing nearness in time.

shortly before

A more concise phrase indicating a recent time before an event.

just hours before

Emphasizes the recency of the time before an event.

recent hours

A simple way to refer to the hours immediately before the present.

earlier part of the day

Generalizes the time frame to an earlier part of the day, without specifying hours.

FAQs

How can I use "preceding few hours" in a sentence?

You can use "preceding few hours" to refer to the time leading up to a specific event. For example, "In the "preceding few hours", the weather worsened significantly."

What's a more concise alternative to "preceding few hours"?

If you need a shorter phrase, consider using "just before" or "shortly before", depending on the context.

Is it ever better to specify the hours instead of saying "preceding few hours"?

Yes, if the specific timeframe is crucial to understanding the situation, it's better to state the exact hours. For instance, instead of saying "in the "preceding few hours"", you might say "between 2 PM and 5 PM".

What is the difference between "preceding few hours" and "previous few hours"?

The terms are largely interchangeable. "Preceding" implies leading up to a specific point, while "previous" simply refers to what came before. The difference is negligible in most contexts.