Master confusing words with ease
After vs. Later
After
/ˈæftər/Examples:
I don't go out after 10 p.m.About two years after I saw the footprint.God had not, after all, decided to spare him.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Later
/ˈleɪtə/Examples:
His sunken leathered face appears a moment later.Maybe there's a later train.Several evenings later Marian again visited him, this time alone.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Think of after as something that follows immediately or closely in time or order.
- Later usually implies a delay, even if unspecified, for a more distant time or event.
- After can also be used in sequences or orders, like placing activities one after another.
- If you promise to do something later, it is typically in the undefined future but not immediate.
- After can suggest consequence, while later might just reflect a progression of time.
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