preliminary dates

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "preliminary dates" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to initial or tentative dates for an event or schedule that may be subject to change. Example: "We have set some preliminary dates for the project meetings, but they may be adjusted based on team availability."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

While some preliminary dates may be wrong, he said, final inspection dates are accurate.

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

WALL STREET JOURNAL   Timeline for Facebook's I.P.O.?  |  The company's management and bankers are said to be considering a preliminary date of either May 16 or 17 to price the I.P.O., CNBC reports, citing an unidentified person familiar with the matter.

The New York Times

On the basis of the lamina counting assuming that the top of the core formed in 2012, we estimated the age of each lamina and cumulated preliminary dating error of each lamina in the SG12-LM3 core.

Progress in Earth and Planetary Science

In an apparent rejection of the terms of the "special status" law offered by the Kiev parliament, the leaders of the self-declared people's republics of Luhansk and Donetsk said on Tuesday that they would set a preliminary date five weeks earlier, on 2 November.

BBC

Alternative Press published a preliminary date of October 10, 2006, as the album's release date, this was later corrected on the band's official website, when it was announced that the new album would be released on November 21, 2006 in North America, and the day before in Europe.

Wikipedia

A preliminary date for 1 May was set for the operation once all of the required airborne and air-landed infantry divisions had been located and supplied, but it was ultimately cancelled on 26 March due to the rapid movement of Allied ground forces negating the need for the operation.

Wikipedia

Thus, the preliminary date of ovulation was determined (cycle duration minus 14 days) and, according to this, menstrual cycle was divided into two parts, follicular and luteal.

BioMed Research International

Other specific parameters were set as follows: rttm and rttmsd set to 1.36, rtrate and rtratesd to 0.04, brownmean and brownsd to 0.7, according to preliminary dating analysis.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

However, during earlier stages of that study, preliminary dating analyses were performed for each of the two different rooting scenarios, using a dirichlet probability prior (DPP) model and including oldest fossils as minimum age constraints for the hypothetical most-recent common ancestors of extant taxa (Additional file 3).

BMC Evolutionary Biology

This hypothesis is consistent with the low level of genetic variation observed in nuclear sequences and the low resolution in the mtDNA topology, as well as with a preliminary dating of the Oreina genus, in which the origin of Oreina speciosissima is estimated at circa 0.4 million years ago [ 36].

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Publishers get a list of preliminary release dates of other companies' books far in advance, and pay attention.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "preliminary dates", clearly communicate that these dates are subject to change to avoid confusion or unmet expectations.

Common error

Avoid treating "preliminary dates" as definitive deadlines. Always reconfirm these dates as the event or project approaches to account for potential adjustments.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "preliminary dates" functions as a noun phrase where "preliminary" modifies "dates". It is used to describe dates that are set provisionally and are subject to change. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is considered correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

28%

Science

26%

Academia

23%

Less common in

Wiki

15%

Formal & Business

7%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "preliminary dates" is a grammatically correct and commonly used phrase to describe dates that are tentative and subject to change. It's important to convey this uncertainty when using the phrase to avoid misunderstandings. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, the phrase is appropriate for use in various contexts, particularly in news, science, academic, and business settings. Remember to use "tentative dates" or "initial dates" as alternatives if you want to emphasize the uncertainty or the starting point respectively. Avoiding assumptions that these dates are fixed is crucial for effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

tentative dates

Replaces "preliminary" with "tentative", emphasizing the uncertain nature of the dates.

initial dates

Substitutes "preliminary" with "initial", highlighting that these are the first dates set.

provisional dates

Uses "provisional" instead of "preliminary", suggesting the dates are subject to change or confirmation.

estimated dates

Replaces "preliminary" with "estimated", focusing on the approximate nature of the dates.

proposed dates

Substitutes "preliminary" with "proposed", indicating that these dates are suggestions.

early dates

Uses "early" to convey that these are the initial or first-stage dates.

first dates

Emphasizes that these are the very first dates planned.

target dates

Replaces "preliminary" with "target", framing the dates as goals to be achieved.

planned dates

Uses "planned" instead of "preliminary", suggesting the dates are part of an initial plan.

prearranged dates

Emphasizes that the dates were arranged in advance but are still subject to change.

FAQs

How can I use "preliminary dates" in a sentence?

You can use "preliminary dates" to indicate that the dates mentioned are subject to change. For example, "We have set some "preliminary dates" for the project meetings, but they may be adjusted based on team availability."

What can I say instead of "preliminary dates"?

You can use alternatives like "tentative dates", "initial dates", or "proposed dates" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "preliminary dates" or "initial dates"?

Both "preliminary dates" and "initial dates" are correct. "Preliminary" suggests that the dates are subject to change, while "initial" simply indicates that they are the first dates set.

What's the difference between "preliminary dates" and "target dates"?

"Preliminary dates" indicates tentative or subject-to-change dates, while "target dates" suggests dates that the project or event aims to meet.