before long
before long — idiom
1. after a short period of time has passed; happening sooner than you might expect
after a short period of time has passed; happening sooner than you might expect
Theo started piano lessons last month, and before long he could play a simple song.
used after 'and' to introduce a quick result
The sky grew dark, and before long heavy rain began to fall on the garden.
Hoa felt nervous on her first day, but before long she had made friends.
The doctor said the medicine would help, and before long the child's fever dropped.
The bus was late, but before long another one arrived and picked everyone up.
- soon
shorter and more direct; can be used in the same positions
- shortly
slightly more formal; often used in news or official writing
- in no time
more emphatic and informal; suggests surprising speed
- much later
direct opposite in meaning
- eventually
implies a longer wait or delay before something happens
文法句型
before long + [clause]
用法筆記
Before long is most often used in past-tense narration to connect two events that happen close together in time. It usually appears at the beginning of a clause or after 'and' or 'but'. It can also be used with future time references in predictions.