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only before vs only after

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Only before' is used to indicate that something can only happen prior to a certain point or time, while 'only after' is used to indicate that something can only happen subsequent to a certain point or time.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 6117 views

only before

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to indicate that something can only happen prior to a certain point or time.

Examples:

The deadline for submissions is only before midnight.
You can make changes to your order only before it is shipped.
The discount offer is valid only before the end of the month.

Show examples from the web [+]

However, there has long been a tendency in all varieties of speech and writing to place only before the verb ( She only sold the stock because she needed the ...
before(:example) # run before each example before(:context) # run one time only, before all of the examples in a group after(:example) # run after each example ...
Once Inspiration has been granted, when exactly can it be used by a PC? Is it only before the original roll is made, or can it be spent after a ...
[resolved] Combine Only Before doesn't work (7 posts) ... If I make Minify mode: Auto and choose Combine only before </body> it still places the combined js file ...

Alternatives:

prior to
up to
until

only after

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to indicate that something can only happen subsequent to a certain point or time.

Examples:

You will receive the confirmation email only after payment is processed.
The event will start only after all guests have arrived.
The results will be announced only after the votes are counted.

Show examples from the web [+]

English exercise "Only after / Only when / Only by" created by greg100 with The test builder · Click here to see the current stats of this English test [Save] [Load] [?] .
... is necessary. So, it has to be: 'Only at night do bats leave their cave.' 'Only after I had returned home did I realize that I had left my watch in Emma's bathroom.' ...
1 day ago ... Agunah Finally Freed – But Only After 28 Years Of Waiting. Alleged victim For 28 years, Raya Dinenberg was an agunah. Twenty-eight years of ...
"Only After Dark" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. Taken from the band's second album, Travelogue, in 1980, it is a cover version of ...

Alternatives:

subsequent to
following
once

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