ENGLISH
REFERENCE

in advance

prep. phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. before a particular time or event happens.

prep. phr.. occurring or performed ahead of a specified time, event, or deadline; functions as an adverbial of time.


SIMPLE

You should book your tickets in advance.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager requested that all staff submit their holiday requests at least two weeks in advance.

COMPLEX

While the logistics were planned months in advance, the sudden shift in market conditions rendered the original strategy obsolete.

Usage

usually placed at the end of a clause or immediately after the verb it modifies.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'beforehand' which is a single-word adverb; 'in advance' often collocates with 'payment', 'booking', or 'notice'.

Pitfall

I paid in the advance.I paid in advance.this phrase is a fixed idiom and does not take a definite article between the preposition and the noun.

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