TIME CLAUSES

They are used to say

when something happens

afteruntil

as soon as before

sincewhile

aswhen

When / while / as

They can be used for two events happening at the same time, meaning “during the time”.

=The earthquake ocurred when / while / as

they were sleeping.

As soon as / OnceImmediatly after.

As soon as Anthony left the house, it started to rain.

Before = earlier than

She left before I could tell her something.

After

After everyone is gone from the party, we’re going to clean up all the mess.

Until / till

Up to that time.

I won’t travel to London until / till I have enough money.

Since / From the moment

From that time.

I’ve played tennis since I was a

young girl.

Ever since

Continuously since a specified time or event.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had trouble getting

up early.

Whenever / every time

Whenever / Every time I am very worried, I have trouble getting asleep.

Remember:

When the time clause appears at the beginning of the sentence, a comma must be used after it.

My friends visited me while I was recovering in the hospital.

While I was recovering in the hospital, my friends visited me.

=

Remember:A time clause with before, after, or while

can be reduced only if the subject in the sentence’s other clause is the same.

After I work out, I take a shower.

After working out, I take a shower.

I take a shower after working out.