prior to causing

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "prior to causing" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something happens before it leads to a particular effect or outcome. Example: "The team conducted a thorough analysis prior to causing any changes in the project plan."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Measurements were made only in the direction the vehicle was travelling prior to causing the case injury, on a section of road extending 150 meters from the injury site.

Plosone

We theorize that patients with early sepsis have low levels of circulating pathogenic mediators (for example, endotoxins) causing slight disruptions in normal homeostatic mechanisms prior to causing obvious clinical signs of infection.

Critical Care

Although recent EV-D68 outbreak in the USA was first observed around mid-August 2014, genealogical estimates indicated that these outbreak lineages might have emerged in May 2013 (outbreak lineage 1), November 2013 (outbreak lineage 2), and November 2011 (outbreak lineage 3), indicating the quiescent persistence of EV-D68 in human population prior to causing large outbreaks.

Emerging Microbes and Infections

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

The mean number of alerts related to the blood oxygen saturation level and heart-rate in the five days prior to cause-specific admissions was significantly higher than that registered over the entire monitoring period (Table  4).

BMC Health Services Research

Slow insertions through the dura or pia matter can cause tissue compression prior to penetration causing loss of perfusion, tissue strain, and the rupture of vasculature.

ACS Chemical Neuroscience

Furthermore, one might think that God's omnipotence should be causally prior to his causing properties to exist.

SEP

Then, if one does think that God's omnipotence should be causally prior to his causing properties to exist, this would be an instance of causal circularity.

SEP

Osteosarcoma often develops micrometastases in the lung prior to diagnosis, causing a fatal outcome.

BMC Cancer

Obviously, the strategy biases the overall calculation towards slightly higher f2R and f2Y values, especially when paralogization occurred in the family just prior to speciation, causing true orthologs and outparalogs to be confused.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Instead, these miRNAs may set the activation threshold prior to infection, causing the neonatal CD8+ T cells to differentiate more rapidly into effector cells, thus biasing them toward a terminally differentiated SLEC fate.

Genetics

However, for soil specimen BTw20s902, unloading prior to inundation caused the soil specimen to have negative pore-water pressure due to dilation of the soil with hysteresis in the pore-water pressure during loading and unloading.

International Journal of Geo-Engineering

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "prior to causing", ensure the causal relationship is clear and direct. This phrasing is best suited when emphasizing the temporal sequence leading to a specific outcome.

Common error

Avoid using "prior to causing" in sentences where "before causing" would suffice. Simpler phrasing often enhances clarity and conciseness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "prior to causing" functions as a prepositional phrase indicating the temporal relationship between two events. It introduces a clause that specifies when an action occurred in relation to its consequence, such as observed in the Ludwig examples provided.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

80%

News & Media

10%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "prior to causing" is a grammatically sound prepositional phrase used to indicate that an event happened before it led to another. According to Ludwig, this phrase is valid, though somewhat formal. It commonly appears in scientific and formal contexts to clearly establish the sequence of events and emphasize the causal relationship. For less formal settings, consider using simpler alternatives like "before causing". While correct, remember that "prior to causing" is best reserved for situations where precision and formality are required.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

before it caused

This alternative is more concise and uses a simpler temporal preposition.

earlier than it led to

This option is straightforward and uses common language for temporal order and consequence.

before it triggered

This alternative is more direct and action-oriented.

ahead of it resulting in

This option employs "ahead of" to emphasize precedence and uses "resulting in" to clarify the consequence.

preceding its effect of

This emphasizes the sequence, using "preceding" to highlight what comes first and "effect" to indicate the result.

previous to its causation of

This is a more formal and complex way of expressing the same idea, employing nominalization.

in advance of it producing

This implies preparation or planning before a consequence.

in anticipation of it generating

This suggests a proactive stance, where something is done expecting a certain outcome.

antecedent to the generation of

This is a more academic and formal phrasing that highlights the preceding nature of an event.

pre-empting the creation of

This suggests an action taken to prevent a possible cause.

FAQs

How can I rephrase "prior to causing" for brevity?

You can often replace "prior to causing" with "before causing" or "ahead of causing" for a more concise expression, depending on the context.

Is "prior to causing" more formal than "before causing"?

Yes, "prior to causing" generally carries a more formal tone than "before causing". Consider your audience and the context when choosing between the two.

What does "prior to causing" emphasize in a sentence?

The phrase "prior to causing" emphasizes the sequence of events, highlighting that one event precedes and directly leads to another. It's useful when the order is crucial to understanding the relationship.

Are there specific contexts where "prior to causing" is preferred?

The phrase "prior to causing" is often preferred in formal writing, legal documents, and scientific reports where precision and a clear establishment of sequence are important. However, in everyday conversation or informal writing, simpler alternatives like "before causing" are more common.