beforehand
part of speech
adverb (beforehand)
meaning for a pupil
Beforehand means earlier, before something else happens, often to get ready. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life and safety, children are told to check things beforehand: tell an adult beforehand where you are going, read the instructions beforehand, go to the toilet beforehand. In science experiments, you make a prediction beforehand and test it afterwards. In maths word problems, «beforehand» marks the amount at the start. Opposite: afterwards.
examples
- Wash your hands beforehand. tree →
- Tell your parents beforehand where you are going. tree →
- I made a prediction beforehand. tree →
- We practised beforehand so the play went well. tree →
- Go to the toilet beforehand, because the trip is long. tree →
- She had 20 marbles beforehand and 14 afterwards, so she lost 6. tree →
- Read the questions beforehand. tree →
- If you can't come, let us know beforehand. tree →
- Vasilissa went into her little closet, set before the doll a supper which she had provided beforehand, and said: tree →
note
One word. It comes at the end of a sentence or clause and does not take an object: «I did it beforehand», not «beforehand the party» (say «before the party»). Opposite: afterwards (UK) or afterward (US). In maths, the amount «beforehand» is the starting number.
In the corpora
- Stars go on chat shows mainly to promote a new film, book or tour, and their funny stories are often practised beforehand.
- At a funeral it is fine to cry or to be quiet, and asking what will happen beforehand helps.
- To present to the class, you practise beforehand, speak slowly and loudly, and look at the audience.
- You do not owe money for something when no price was agreed beforehand.
- Dreading something can make the body release the stress hormone cortisol beforehand, and a sore tummy is a common sign of that worry.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «beforehand» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.