this past april

USAGE SUMMARY

"this past April" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it any time you need to describe something that happened or occurred during the month of April in the previous year. For example: "This past April, I went on a vacation with my family to Hawaii."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

41 human-written examples

Twitter first started talking about this new API this past April at their Chirp conference.

TechCrunch

This remark was repeated at his memorial service this past April in New York City.

The New York Times - Books

She turned eighty-eight this past April.

The New Yorker

A new version of Vine, launched this past April, included a self-facing video setting.

The New Yorker

The Scarsdale Woman's Club named its library the Bette Burson Library this past April.

The New York Times

The school learned this past April that it could no longer afford its library or librarian.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

17 human-written examples

This past April, CNN posted its lowest ratings in 10 years.

Huffington Post

"This past April, there were four".

The New York Times

This past April, nine months of US-led peace talks predictably failed.

The Guardian - Opinion

This past April, experts from 87 countries gathered for a summit in Geneva on "Killer Robots".

Huffington Post

This past April, the U.S. Census Bureau released a new white paper, Who's Minding the Kids?

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "this past April" to clearly indicate an event that occurred in April of the immediately preceding year. This phrasing is especially helpful in contexts where the timeline is not immediately clear.

Common error

Avoid ambiguity by ensuring the reader understands that "this past April" refers to the April of the immediately preceding year. If there's any chance of confusion, specify the year directly.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "this past April" functions as an adverbial phrase of time, modifying a verb or clause by specifying when an action or event occurred. As Ludwig confirms, it is grammatically correct and widely used.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

95%

Formal & Business

3%

Science

1%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "this past April" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase to denote the month of April in the immediately preceding year. According to Ludwig, it's correct and versatile for various communication purposes. Its primary function is to provide a clear temporal reference, most commonly found in news and media contexts. While interchangeable with "last April", it provides a straightforward way to specify the time frame. When using the phrase, ensure the context makes the intended year clear to avoid any ambiguity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

last April

Replaces "this past" with "last", maintaining the same meaning and temporal reference.

April of last year

Specifies the year, making the reference more explicit and slightly more formal.

April last

A shortened version of "last April", maintaining the same meaning.

April of the previous year

Uses a more formal tone to indicate the April of the year before the current one.

the April before

Simply refers to the April immediately preceding the current year.

the April before this one

Refers to April in relation to the current month, emphasizing recency.

in April of the year before

Similar to "April of last year", but uses a slightly more descriptive wording.

April a year ago

Indicates the time passed since that April, focusing on the duration.

the April just gone

Colloquial phrasing, implying April has just finished.

earlier this year in April

Emphasizes that April happened earlier in the current year.

FAQs

What does "this past April" mean?

The phrase "this past April" refers to the month of April in the year immediately preceding the current one. It's a common way to specify a time frame without explicitly stating the year.

How is "this past April" different from "last April"?

The phrases "this past April" and "last April" are essentially interchangeable and mean the same thing. Both refer to April of the previous year.

What can I say instead of "this past April"?

You can use alternatives like "last April", "April of last year", or "the April before" depending on the context.

Is it necessary to specify the year when using "this past April"?

Generally, it's not necessary if the context makes it clear which year you're referring to. However, if there's any potential for confusion, specifying the year can improve clarity.