very earlier

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "very earlier" is not correct in English.
The correct form would be "much earlier" or simply "earlier." You can use it when you want to emphasize that something happened significantly before a certain point in time, but it should be phrased correctly. Example: "The meeting was scheduled for 10 AM, but I arrived much earlier to prepare."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

One of the very earlier available functional appliances is the functional regulator (FR -2 [6].

Progress in Orthodontics

Later, the optimal result for (q = frac {pQ}{Q-p}) and (p > 1) was first proved by Lu in his two very earlier papers [23, 25].

Boundary Value Problems

These differences may be explained by both different criteria of good outcome and a very earlier outcome assessment than in the present study.

Annals of Intensive Care

While Andreessen Horowitz was one of Instagram's very earlier investors, it said it didn't follow-on because of a conflict of interest with another company it funded.

TechCrunch

Figure 8 a shows that the MATF has higher PDR as compared to the SATF as it isolates malicious nodes from the routing paths very earlier (as shown in Fig. 6 c).

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

What we've learned from other targeted cancer drugs such as Genentech 's Avastin, OSI 's Tarceva, Novartis' Gleevac, and ImClone 's Erbitux, is that we're in the very earlier stages of brand new ways of attacking cancer.

Forbes

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

Polanski left very early.

The Guardian - Film

(Very early beginners can draw).

The New York Times

Nexus One was very early.

The New York Times

It is very early days".

The New York Times

He gets up very early.

The New York Times - Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using "very earlier" in formal writing. Instead, opt for grammatically correct alternatives like "much earlier", "far earlier", or "significantly earlier" to ensure clarity and credibility.

Common error

Do not combine "very" with comparative adverbs like "earlier". "Very" typically modifies positive-degree adjectives or adverbs, not comparatives. The correct way to intensify "earlier" is with "much", "far", or "significantly".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "very earlier" functions as an adverbial modifier, attempting to specify the timing of an event or action. However, it's grammatically incorrect. Ludwig indicates that standard English prefers alternatives such as "much earlier".

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

40%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "very earlier" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard English. Ludwig suggests that while the intent is to emphasize that something happened before a certain time, it's best to use alternatives such as "much earlier", "far earlier", or "significantly earlier" to ensure grammatical correctness and clarity. Although "very earlier" appears in various sources, including scientific and news media, its usage is not recommended for formal writing. Therefore, opting for grammatically sound alternatives will enhance the credibility and precision of your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

much earlier

Emphasizes a significant difference in time, indicating something occurred considerably before a reference point.

far earlier

Highlights a greater temporal distance, suggesting the event took place at a notably prior time.

significantly earlier

Indicates a marked temporal difference, emphasizing the importance of the earlier occurrence.

considerably earlier

Implies a substantial difference in time, similar to "much earlier" but with a slightly more formal tone.

well before

States something happened long before a specified time or event.

long before

Emphasizes the extended duration between the event and the reference point.

considerably prior

Formally denotes a significant precedence in time.

noticeably sooner

Highlights that the event occurred observably before the expected time.

somewhat earlier

Suggests a moderate difference in time, less emphatic than "much earlier".

appreciably earlier

Highlights the degree of difference between events, but is a bit more formal.

FAQs

Is "very earlier" grammatically correct?

No, "very earlier" is grammatically incorrect. The correct way to express this idea is to use "much earlier" or "far earlier".

What are some alternatives to using "very earlier" in a sentence?

Instead of "very earlier", you can use phrases like "significantly earlier", "considerably earlier", or simply "earlier" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "very earlier" or "much earlier"?

"Much earlier" is the grammatically correct phrase. "Very earlier" is not standard English.

How can I emphasize that something happened before a certain point in time without using "very earlier"?

You can use phrases like "well before", "long before", or "appreciably earlier" to emphasize the temporal difference.