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Numbers, Time & Dates
Cardinal and ordinal numbers, telling the time, days of the week, and months of the year
Expressing ratios and rates
one in three people / a ratio of 3:1 / at a rate of 5% per year / per capita
Exponential language
double, triple, quadruple / exponential growth / tenfold increase / halve
Temporal connectives in formal discourse
prior to, subsequent to, in the interim, simultaneously, thereafter, henceforth
Duration: over / throughout / across
over the past decade / throughout history / across the centuries / over time
Numerical hedging
some 200 people / in the region of €500 / upwards of 1,000 / in excess of
Time: on the verge of / on the brink of
on the verge of collapse / on the brink of war / at the cusp of change
Historical present in narrative
In 1066, William invades England... — used for vivid narrative effect
Relative time: within / no later than / by
within two weeks / no later than Friday / by the deadline / ahead of schedule
At the eleventh hour / in the nick of time
at the eleventh hour (at the last moment) / in the nick of time (just in time)
Colloquial time expressions
in a jiffy (very soon) / at the drop of a hat (immediately) / ages ago (long time)
