previous

/ˈpriːviəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpriːviəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprē-vē-əs/ (ame, mw) · /ˈpriː.vi.əs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpriː.vi.əs/ (ame, ipa)

previous — adjective

  • previouspositive
  • more previouscomparative
  • most previoussuperlative

1. happening, existing, or done earlier in time, order, or position — used to talk

1.形容詞B1
釋義

happening, existing, or done earlier in time, order, or position — used to talk about a person, thing, or event that came before the current one you are referring to.

例句

Tunde left his previous job to start his own company.

collocation: previous job / previous employer

The garden looks much better than it did in previous years.

同義詞
  • prior

    more formal; common in legal, academic, or business writing

  • earlier

    broader in use; can refer to any point further back in time, not necessarily the immediately preceding one

  • former

    implies a role, position, or state that no longer applies

  • preceding

    refers to the one that comes immediately before in a sequence

反義詞
  • next

    the one that comes after in order

  • following

    the one that comes immediately after

  • subsequent

    formal; happening after something else

文法句型

previous + noun

用法筆記

Always used directly before a noun. Cannot stand alone after a linking verb (❌ 'This is previous'). For the meaning 'last in a series', use 'last' or 'most recent' instead.

常見錯誤

❌Previous year I went to Japan.
✅The previous year, I went to Japan.' or 'Last year, I went to Japan.
💡'previous' needs a determiner (the, my, his, etc.) or must be used with 'last' when referring to the most recent calendar period.
❌My previous phone's battery was better.' (when meaning 'my old phone')
✅My old phone's battery was better.
💡'previous' means 'before the current one', but 'old' is more natural when no longer in use.

previous — noun