previous person

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "previous person" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to someone who came before someone else in a particular context. For example, "The previous person to hold this position resigned due to health issues."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

28 human-written examples

After you obtain it from them, tell the PREVIOUS person that the other person gave it to you and then the previous person will feel bad.

WikiHow

He handed me my 30p, along with the 30p of the previous person who'd attempted entry.

The Guardian - Opinion

"People have pre-conceived notions about you, and pre-conceived notions of what you should do because of what the previous person was doing".

The New Yorker

Many Palestinians try to speed this up a bit by starting their walk just before the previous person moves on from the sandbags.

The Guardian

"He told me they were going to put bacteria in my mom's brain, and that, in the previous person they did it on, it killed the tumor cells," she said.

The New Yorker

She made the 110.36-mile swim without the protection of a shark cage, surpassing the only previous person to negotiate the strait, Susie Maroney, who made the crossing in 1997 with the benefit of the cage.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

32 human-written examples

We will collect data from previous person-centred-care track records for all nursing homes in the study.

BMC Geriatrics

Children who were exposed to IPV were also more likely to have mothers who reported higher levels of both depression and life events, confirming the correlation between risk factors, and resilient children were exposed to greater levels of risk and protective factors than non-resilient children, which mirrors the findings of previous person-oriented studies (e.g. Martinez-Torteya et al., 2009).

Child Abuse and Neglect

The Clinical Global Impression - Severity (CGI-S) is a single-item clinician rating of the severity of the person's psychiatric symptoms in relation to the clinician's total experience of previous persons with the same diagnosis [ 32].

BMC Psychiatry

The previous youngest person to climb Everest was Temba Tshiri - who scaled Everest two years ago aged 16 years and 17 days.

The Guardian

Note: Your previous two-person unit, Geurlfrūnd, may have found its own upgrade by now.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "previous person", ensure the context clearly establishes the sequence or relationship being referenced. For instance, specify "the previous person in this role" for clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "previous person" without clear context, as it can be unclear whom you're referring to. Instead of saying "the previous person made mistakes", specify "the previous manager made mistakes".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "previous person" functions as a noun phrase that modifies another noun, typically referring to an individual who preceded the current one in a specific context. Ludwig provides examples showcasing its use in various scenarios.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

37%

Wiki

23%

Science

13%

Less common in

Formal & Business

7%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "previous person" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase for referring to an individual who preceded the current one in a particular context. As demonstrated by Ludwig, the phrase appears most often in News & Media and Wiki sources. Related phrases include ""former person"" and ""preceding individual"". To ensure clarity, it's important to provide sufficient context when using the phrase and avoid ambiguity. Keep in mind that using synonyms is a good practice to make your writing more professional and easy to understand.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

former person

Replaces "previous" with "former", indicating someone who held a position or role in the past.

preceding individual

Substitutes both words with more formal synonyms, emphasizing the order of succession.

earlier person

Uses "earlier" to denote someone who came before in time or sequence.

prior occupant

Implies someone who occupied a place or position before the current one.

past incumbent

Specifically refers to someone who previously held a particular office or position.

predecessor

A more formal term for someone who came before in a role or position.

one before

A simpler, more informal way to refer to the person who came immediately before.

last person

Indicates the most recent person before the current one in a sequence or situation.

original person

Emphasizes that they were the first or earliest person.

initial person

Highlights that they were at the beginning

FAQs

How can I use "previous person" in a sentence?

You can use "previous person" to refer to someone who held a position or performed an action before the current individual. For example, "The "former person" in charge of marketing implemented a new strategy."

What are some alternatives to using "previous person"?

Alternatives include "preceding individual", "prior occupant", or "predecessor", depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "the person previous" instead of "previous person"?

While understandable, "previous person" is the more standard and grammatically correct phrasing. "The person previous" is less common and can sound awkward.

What's the difference between "previous person" and ""former person""?

Both terms are largely interchangeable, but ""former person"" often implies a more official or long-term role, while "previous person" can be used in a broader range of contexts.