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Writing Skills Topic One: Chronological Order-Signal Words for “Time”(II)

1. Special Words for “Time”

(1) Past:
(v.) used to V.
(adj.)
-past/previous
-ancient/old/old-fashioned/traditional/conventional/classical/long-held
-early/original/initial/incipient
(adv.)
-adj.+ly
-then/at that time/at that moment/at that point
-once/at one time/at one point in time
-for many years

(2) Now:
(v.) be used to Ving.
(adj.) present/current/recent
(adv.)
-adj.+ly
-now/nowadays
-presently/at present/at this point/at this moment

(3) Future:
(v.) predict, presume (assume the future), foresee, foretell, forecast, guess, surmise, conjecture, hypothesize
(adj.)
-context-dependent: next (step), possible (result), probable (outcome), likely (consequence)
-future/upcoming/coming
(adv.)
-in the future
-in the near future
-in the weeks/days to come

2. Number order
(1) First
(v.) to kick off/ to begin with
(n.) beginning, start, onset, outset, outbreak (for a war or disease)
(adv.) at the beginning(onset/outset/outbreak); first of all/ firstly

(2) Second/Third/…
(n.) successor/heir
(adj.) following, subsequent, successive, succeeding, next
(adv.) then/next/later

(3) Finally
(n.) end/closure
(adj.) to wrap up
(adv.)
-lastly, ultimately, eventually
-at the end, in the end, in the long run