When early grammar arrives late

Posted by Pak Guru on October 23rd, 2018 | 0 comments | awal, gapfill, grammar, IELTS, speaking, vocabulary, writing

The statistics show that until the early of 2018, Indonesian debt to GDP was below 30%.

It’s good to use early (and it’s opposite – late) to describe an approximate time of year or month. However, there is some grammar to think about.

Adjective and adverb possibilities

I think our opening example is a direct translation from the Indonesian awal. Unfortunately whereas in Bahasa Indonesia awal can be a noun or an adjective, its English translation – early – is either an adjective or an adverb:

• The statistics show that until early 2018, Indonesian debt to GDP was below 30%.
• (adjective affecting 2018)
• The statistics show that the increase in Indonesian debt to GDP came early in 2018.
• (adverb affecting come)

Noun possibilities

If you really need a noun, then you might say:

• The statistics show that until the early weeks of 2018, Indonesian debt to GDP was below 30%.

Alternatively, of course, you can use other nouns such as beginning:

• The statistics show that until the beginning of 2018, Indonesian debt to GDP was below 30%.

Or, if you’re talking about approximate times of year, it is also possible to divide the year into quarters and use first quarter, second quarter, etc.:

• The statistics show that until the first quarter of 2018, Indonesian debt to GDP was below 30%.

Finally, if the period you’re talking about is not tied to a specific period, early tends to collocate with certain nouns, in particular stage:

• The statistics show that in the early stages, Indonesian debt to GDP was below 30%.

Practice

In the passage below, choose between adjectives and adverbs using earl and late!