Time-Related Expressions

noun a previous or earlier time

adverb in time past; previously

• The historian studied the events of beforetime to understand the origins of civilization.
• I never knew what life was like beforetime, it must have been so different.
• Back in the beforetime, things were wild and crazy.
• The ancient ruins stood as a reminder of the greatness that existed beforetime.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• Many decades have gone by since the building was first constructed.
• I can't believe how quickly the weekend has gone by.
• The party was so fun, the night just flew by.
• As time has gone by, her passion for painting has only grown stronger.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

conjunction a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses

article a word that is used to indicate whether a noun is specific or nonspecific

• There are only 2 sleeps until the deadline for the project submission.
• Hey, just letting you know there's only 2 sleeps left until the party!
• Yo, we're down to only 2 sleeps until the concert, can't wait!
• Just 2 more sleeps until we can finally relax and enjoy our vacation.

noun A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'time' represents a period or instance of time.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun. In this case, 'longest' describes the duration of time.

preposition A word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. In this case, 'for' indicates the duration of time.

article A word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun. In this case, 'the' is used before 'longest time' to specify a particular period of time.

• For the longest time, the researchers have been studying the effects of climate change on marine life.
• I've been waiting for the longest time for my package to arrive.
• I was stuck in traffic for the longest time on my way to work.
• She held onto that grudge for the longest time, unable to let it go.