preceding that date

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "preceding that date" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to events, actions, or conditions that occurred before a specific date mentioned in the context. Example: "All transactions preceding that date will be reviewed for accuracy."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

The chart review covered a 13-month period, beginning with the month of selection into the cohort (index period) followed by review of the 12 months preceding that date (reference period).

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

To determine use of a particular drug at the index date, we searched the pharmacy data for the prescription immediately preceding that date.

British Medical Journal

To tackle this problem we defined a cohort of "active" cases on any given date as people with ongoing contact with mental health services or who had contact with services in the five years preceding that date.

British Medical Journal

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

We feel we should give back to him — and how can you not?" For Driben, giving time and money to B.U. — more than $200,000 since 1991 and an unknown amount preceding that, dating to a $25 contribution in 1973 — is a token of his gratitude for seven years of speech therapy with a university professor, Albert Murphy, beginning in 1955, when Driben was 11.

The New York Times - Sports

Data was collected between February 2009 and April 2010; each site collected data for the 1-year period preceding that site's enrollment date.

BMC Family Practice

In the United States, a competitor may overcome a defensive publication by presenting evidence showing a date of conception that precedes the date of the defensive publication.

Nature

Includes in-process records not yet added to Medline (EbscoHost), some out-of-scope citations, and some that precede the date a journal was selected for Medline indexing.

Princeton University

Tests for the association between response and OS were performed measuring OS from the start of treatment in order to facilitate comparison with previous work in this area, and also from 12 months after the end of treatment to remove bias associated with having a start date for OS that preceded the date at which response was measured.

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

For example, the system should not allow the entry of a date for starting RRT that precedes the date of birth or a primary renal disease of 'nephropathy due to pre-eclampsia/eclampsia' if the gender has been indicated as male.

CKJ: Clinical Kidney Journal

If Fiswick seeks naturalization, he must establish that during the five years immediately preceding the date of filing his petition for naturalization he 'has been and still is a person of good moral character.' 54 Stat.

Cornell University

We considered it unlikely that there were many eligible studies preceding this date and were concerned about changes in treatment delivery since the early 1980s.

Human Resources for Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "preceding that date", ensure the context clearly establishes what "that date" refers to, avoiding ambiguity for the reader.

Common error

Avoid assuming "preceding that date" implies a short duration; it simply means anything before the specified date, whether days, months, or years.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "preceding that date" functions as a prepositional phrase, modifying a noun or verb by specifying a temporal relationship. It indicates that something occurred or existed before a particular date. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

75%

News & Media

12%

Academia

13%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "preceding that date" serves as a prepositional phrase that is grammatically correct and establishes a temporal relationship, indicating that an event occurred before a specific date. Ludwig AI also confirms this assessment.

While considered rare in frequency, it is commonly found in scientific, academic, and news contexts, showing a neutral to formal tone. For simpler and more direct communication, alternatives like "before that date" can be used. Ensuring clarity and understanding the timeframe are vital for effective usage. The phrase is helpful in clearly defining timelines in various written formats.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

before that date

A simpler, more direct alternative using 'before'.

prior to that date

Uses 'prior to' instead of 'preceding', offering a more formal tone.

previously to that date

Uses an adverb to indicate a past occurrence.

up until that date

Highlights the continuous period until the specified date.

leading up to that date

Emphasizes the period of time just before the specified date.

in the time before that date

Rephrases to use a more descriptive noun phrase.

in advance of that date

More formal and emphasizes preparation or anticipation.

on days leading up to that date

Highlights events happening on multiple days before the specified date.

dating back to before that date

Highlights how far in the past something goes.

antecedent to that date

A highly formal, less common way to indicate something that comes before.

FAQs

What's a simple way to say "preceding that date"?

A simpler way to express the same idea is to use the phrase "before that date". It's generally more direct and easier to understand.

Is "preceding that date" formal or informal?

While "preceding that date" isn't overly formal, "prior to that date" might be considered more so. "Before that date" is a good neutral option.

Can I use "preceding that date" when talking about events in the future?

No, "preceding that date" refers to events that have already happened before a specific point in time. For future events, you'd use phrases like "leading up to that date".

What's the difference between "preceding that date" and "following that date"?

"Preceding that date" refers to events that occurred before a particular date, while "following that date" refers to events that occurred after that date. They are opposites in terms of time.