When is it before after?

Are you ever confused about when to use the words “before” and “after?” Don’t worry; you’re not alone. These two simple words can cause a lot of confusion, especially for non-native speakers. But fear not! By the end of this article, you’ll be an expert on using before and after.

What are before and after?

First things first, let’s define what we mean by before and after. Put simply; these are prepositions that indicate time or position relative to something else.

When used with time-related phrases like events or clock times, “before” refers to prior events in chronological order (i.e., at an earlier point in time). Meanwhile, “after” refers to subsequent events in chronological order (i.e., later points in time).

Consider these examples:

  • I will go shopping before noon.
  • She had lunch after her meeting.

Similarly regarding spatial relations such as physical location:

  • We sat down on the bench before taking a walk.
  • He left his bag behind only finding them again after, he returned.

Therefore the two terms refer respectively whether one event happens first then followed by another similar occurrence.

Examples explained

Now that we’ve seen some brief introductions let’s talk about more elaborate contexts where there’s ever some vagueness among listeners rendering their meaning sometimes unclear due to different interpretations associated with each statement

Example 1: Let’s Meet at Two O’Clock Afternoon

If your friend tells you they want to meet you at 2 o’clock afternoon today but did not specify AM or PM nor gave any contextual clues based on premises – this could lead into quite an ambiguous situation because it’s hard for anyone especially those who do own watches since other people might infer differently according based upon what their mind thinks best suits visualized perspective without having confirmation from someone else so everybody has different attention spans and interpretations from inputs they receive at any given point in time much of which is intrinsic by nature as opposed to a normal expectation we generally expectfrom other human beings.So here what’s helpful would be providing the necessary direction that aligns with where you are meeting whether it’s an office, bank or coffee stand.

Example 2: Drops Before Locking

In order for locks to work properly there needs some lubrication; thus have onetime heard this phrase “oil them when wet then drop before locking” and might grasp easily especially if going through technical schooling. But if not familiar entrenched concepts regarding system engineering one probably won’t know how exactly they should approach implementation utilizing such strategies unless earlier taught along specifications associated related functionalities -in simpler terms means oiling the critical parts after cleaning like plungers hinges etcetera before twisting lock key adjacent inside cylinder where series pins pushing themselves against spiral grooves found within affixed mechanism thereby making device interlocking feature possible.

Now let us delve more into specific contexts that illustrate every situation potentially directed misunderstandings occurring because both those phrases seem interchangeable hence proper evaluation seeks highlighting practical understanding applicable scenarios:

Time schedules

Before
– Referring to any committed tasks set sometime ahead of present including but not limited future appointments marked on agenda telling yourself colleagues or friends.
– Think about getting your dry-cleaning done before heading off overseas.

After
– Pointing towards events coming subsequently once some prerequisite conditions met beforehand (e.g., finishing up lunch first ensures no interruptions).
– I will send you email right after my boss approves proposal submission

Note that both before and after can reference duration:

“All orders made past noon are processed after next working day morning.”

Implying whatever clothes ordered past noon today will only arrive tomorrow morning with courier service staff handling next-day delivery services.

Positional references

Let’s also check how before and after refer to positional meaning primarily:

Before
– Used mostly in contexts involving locations or movement.
– She looked forward to the concert night because her favorite band will perform right before Katy Perry takes the stage.

After
– Speaks similarly about succeeding items in order, whether it being any object(s), cause or motive (as shown below).
– It rained steadily for a week after we performed some mass planting session on our yard, thereby increasing amounts of growth evident ensuingly thereafter.

The Midnight Problem

Remember those dinner schedules before & after 2pm dilemmas, yet still vague on when within timezone these should be? Behold, comes another formidable challenge – this midnight hangover!

For programming purposes, midnight poses an additional confounding element. Consider if you want to select all records between two dates:

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>DATE</th>
      <th>CUSTOMER</th>
    </tr> 
 </thead>
      <tbody>

          <!-- start-->
          <?php foreach ($records as $record):?>
              <?php if($record->date >= '2019/12/31'):?>
                  [do something with record]
                  <?php endif;?>

          <!-- end -->

       </tbody>

</table>

What would happen if you used “midnight” as one of your boundaries? Does midnight belong to day x or day y?

The answer is: it depends on which side of the boundary you’re looking at! If someone tells me their report needs completion by midnight tonight (assuming no contrary specified handling such situations) usually best interpret this as that they want the job done anytime today around evening time because generally people will expect the job done in a couple of valid action hours estimated for completion but if things are perilously overlooked could materialize into catastrophic failure as clear expectations rendered innacurate miscommunication tendencies.

Timing matters

It is worth noting that before tends to have a more urgent connotation than after, which speaks towards taking appropriate action in order for plan implementation possible. Or imagine being directed by your gym instructor to perform exercise before weightlifting knowing you need both muscle strength and energy beforehand, so proper finishing up warm-up activities require some after activity exertion.

In conclusion, understanding when it’s appropriate to use “before” or “after” takes practice and attention to detail. Just remember that before refers mostly such relations involving exhortations completed with intent while afterwards often implies secondarily arrangements not initially planned in context earlier so despite them sounding similar just decide based on personal preference associated related activities at certain points.

Thank you for reading this article! Good luck using these two prepositions effectively!

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