Time and Order: English Vocabulary List

to take turns doing something

"We alternate tasks."

"The two chefs decided to alternate preparing the main course each night to share the workload."

to look back on past events

"We look back now."

"Looking back we can retrospect and see clearly that we made the wrong decision five years ago."

currently occurring or continuing

"The project is ongoing."

"The ongoing investigation into the company's finances revealed that several employees had been stealing money for years without detection."

about to happen soon, often with a sense of threat or urgency

"The storm is impending."

"The impending storm forced the sailors to return to the harbor and secure their boats."

continuing forever or indefinitely into the future

"The motion is perpetual."

"The perpetual motion machine is impossible because energy cannot be created from nothing."

organized according to the order that the events occurred in

"Put the events in chronological order."

"Put the events in chronological order from the earliest to the most recent so it makes sense."

(of a day or month) added to a calendar to align it with the solar year or another astronomical cycle

"The year has an intercalary month."

"The intercalary month is added to the calendar every few years to keep it aligned with the seasons."

continuing to exist all the time, without significant changes

"This is my permanent address."

"This is my permanent address so please send all my mail here from now on."

lasting or existing for a small amount of time

"The beauty is ephemeral."

"The ephemeral beauty of the cherry blossoms lasts only a week so tourists flock to see them."

enduring for a prolonged priod

"His love is abiding."

"Her abiding love for music led her to practice the piano every day for many years."

(particularly of something unpleasant) likely to take place in the near future

"The storm is imminent."

"Danger is imminent so we must evacuate the building immediately before the fire spreads to this floor."

remaining unaffected by the passage of time

"The design is timeless."

"The timeless design of the classic watch meant that it never went out of style at all."

‌not paid, done, etc. within the required or expected timeframe

"The book is overdue."

"The library book was three weeks overdue and she had to pay a fine."

having extremely modern, innovative technology or design, often resembling what might be expected in the future

"The design is futuristic."

"The futuristic building looked like something from a science fiction movie with its curved glass walls."

approaching or coming soon, often with a sense of concern or importance

"The crisis is looming."

"The looming deadline made the students work through the night to finish their projects."

belonging to the beginning of time

"Primordial life forms existed."

"The primordial soup contained the basic chemicals that scientists believe led to the first life on earth."

having a very short duration

"The feeling is transient."

"The transient nature of fame means that many celebrities are forgotten within a few years."

continuing or enduring for a long time, without significant changes

"This is a lasting memory."

"The lasting friendship between the two men survived fifty years of distance and disagreement between them."

taking place or repeating at consistent, set intervals over time

"The events are periodic."

"The doctor scheduled periodic check-ups to monitor the patient's recovery progress over several months."

at exactly the same time

"The two events happened simultaneously."

"The two events happened simultaneously so the president could not attend both of them at the same time."

for a limited period of time

"The road is temporarily closed for repairs."

"The road is temporarily closed for repairs so please use the alternate route indicated on the signs."

in a way that happens once every year

"We take a vacation annually."

"We take a vacation annually to recharge our batteries and spend quality time together as a family."

at the starting point of a process or situation

"Initially I did not like him."

"Initially I did not like him but after getting to know him better I realized that he is actually a very kind person."

on a very infrequent basis

"She rarely goes out."

"She rarely watches television because she prefers reading books and listening to music instead."

in an immediate manner with no delay

"The light turned on instantaneously."

"The light turned on instantaneously when I flipped the switch and the room was no longer dark."

for an unspecified period of time

"Postponed indefinitely."

"The meeting was postponed indefinitely because the main speaker had a family emergency and could not attend."

in every case without exception

"He invariably arrives late to meetings."

"He invariably arrives late to meetings and his colleagues are getting very tired of waiting for him every single time."

now and then or from time to time

"Check your smoke detector periodically."

"Check your smoke detector periodically to make sure the batteries are working and it will alert you in case of fire."

someone or something that comes before another of the same type, acting as a sign of what will come next

"The cough was a precursor to the illness."

"The invention was an important precursor to the development of modern computers and technology."

referring to an event or occurrence that is about to happen very soon

"The event is forthcoming."

"We are eagerly awaiting the forthcoming release of the highly anticipated sequel to the popular film."

occurring or coming after something else

"The damage was subsequent."

"The subsequent investigation revealed that the fire was caused by faulty wiring."

about to come to pass

"The event is upcoming."

"The upcoming election will determine who becomes the next mayor and both candidates are campaigning hard to win votes from citizens."

occurring before a more important thing, particularly as an act of introduction

"The results are preliminary."

"The preliminary results suggest that the new teaching method is effective but more research is needed to confirm the findings."

relating to a system that is organized based on social ranking or levels of authority

"The structure is hierarchical."

"The hierarchical structure of the company means that decisions must be approved by several levels of management."

continuously happening one after another

"Five consecutive wins occurred."

"It rained for three consecutive days and the basement flooded because the ground could not absorb any more water."

to arrange items or events in a particular order

"Sequence the steps carefully."

"The scientist needed to sequence the DNA samples carefully to identify any genetic mutations in the patient's cells."

to indicate in advance that something, particularly something bad, will take place

"The dark clouds foreshadow a storm."

"The dark clouds in the distance foreshadowed the violent storm that would hit the town by midnight."

from a particular time onward

"Thereafter he never returned."

"Thereafter he never returned to his hometown and his family lost all contact with him for many years."

to make something last longer in time than it would naturally

"Prolong the conversation with small talk."

"The doctors decided to use experimental treatments to prolong the patient's life as much as possible despite his terminal illness."

to extend a period of time or duration

"Do not protract the meeting unnecessarily."

"The lawyer tried to protract the trial as much as possible by raising unnecessary objections to tire out the prosecution witnesses."

to cover or last the whole of a period of time

"The bridge spans the wide river."

"The old bridge spans the wide river and connects two small towns on opposite sides of the water."

a historical account of events presented in chronological order

"The chronicle recorded events from the twelfth century."

"The chronicle recorded every major battle and royal marriage in the kingdom's thousand year history."

time that is endless

"It felt like eternity."

"Waiting for the bus felt like an eternity because the cold wind made every minute unbearable."

either of the two times of the year when the sun reaches its farthest or closest distance from the equator

"The summer solstice arrived."

"The solstice signaled the longest or shortest day of the year."

the state or process of two or more things occurring at the same time or working together in harmony

"The dancers moved in perfect synchronization."

"The dancers moved with perfect synchronization during the beautiful performance on stage."

the ability to comprehend and evaluate past events or decisions, often gaining insights that were not apparent at the time

"Hindsight is always twenty-twenty."

"In hindsight, I should have studied harder for the final exam at university last year."

happening or taking place at the same time

"The events are concurrent."

"The festival featured several concurrent performances happening on different stages throughout the day."

lasting for a long time or continuing indefinitely

"The plant is perennial."

"The perennial flowers come back every year without needing to be replanted."

(of things) old but highly valued for the quality, excellent condition, or timeless design

"The car is vintage."

"The vintage car from the nineteen fifties was restored to its original condition."

referring or relating to a past event

"The exhibit is retrospective."

"The retrospective exhibition featured paintings from every period of the artist's long career."

the sequence in which one thing follows another in time

"A succession of kings ruled the land."

"The royal succession followed strict rules passed down through many generations in the kingdom."

earlier in time, order, arrangement, or significance, often serving as an example or rule to be followed in the future

"The case is precedent."

"The court ruling set a precedent that influenced many similar cases in the future."

the situation that follows a very unpleasant event such as a war, natural disaster, accident, etc.

"The aftermath was bad."

"In the aftermath of the hurricane volunteers distributed food and water to displaced families."

existing or occurring before something else

"The event is antecedent."

"The antecedent event caused the chain reaction that led to the war."

referring to the second of two things mentioned

"The latter option is better."

"He discussed both the advantages and disadvantages, but focused more on the latter."

to occur at the same time as something else

"The holiday coincides with her birthday this year."

"The date of the wedding coincided with the anniversary of when the couple first met five years ago."

to intentionally prolong the completion of an action or process

"Don't linger here."

"She would often linger over her morning coffee, savoring the quiet moments before the day began."

(particularly of a time period) to no longer be valid or active

"My ticket will expire."

"Please note that your membership will expire at the end of the month."

a short duration or episode during which a particular activity or event occurs

"He had a short bout."

"The patient experienced a brief bout of fever which thankfully subsided quickly."

a plan or timetable outlining the sequence of events or activities

"Check the schedule."

"The project schedule outlines all critical milestones and deadlines for the development team."