ENGLISH
REFERENCE

last summer

fixed phr..
A1 Beginner Oxford

fixed phr.. This phrase means the summer of the year before the current one.

fixed phr.. A noun phrase functioning as a time adverbial, referring to the summer of the preceding calendar year.


SIMPLE

She still has photos from last summer.

CONTEXTUAL

We visited my grandparents last summer, and we're planning to see them again this Christmas.

COMPLEX

The economic policies enacted last summer are only now beginning to show their full, and largely negative, effects on small businesses.

Usage

This phrase is used without a preposition like 'in' or 'on' to say when something happened.

Teaching tip

Contrast with 'this summer' and 'next summer', and emphasize that time phrases with 'last' do not take a preposition.

Pitfall

In last summer, we went camping.Last summer, we went camping.Time expressions with 'last', 'next', 'this', or 'every' do not need a preposition like 'in' or 'at'.

© 2026 English Reference