Before

Rho:

I teach English in Japan, and it is not my intention to confuse.  We have a morning routine exercise we use with students to better understand words like "before", "after", and "at".  After some practice, students are able to use those time references accurately.

What do you do AFTER you wake up in the morning?

After I wake up, I (brush my teeth, wash my face, eat breakfast, etc...)

A) I woke up at 8:00am. 
B) When did you eat breakfast? Before or After 8:00am?

Before 8:00am A was dreaming, After is the answer.

When did A eat breakfast?  We don't know, but we do know it was AFTER 8:00 and not before.

Now, another point:

1) I watched TV before I went to bed last night.  I went to bed at 11pm last night.  We generally assume you watched TV shortly before 11pm then.

2) I watched TV before 11:00, and then went to bed.  Oh!! So, maybe that's why you didn't hear about the accident which happened at 11:45.

3) Before 11:00, and then went to bed.

Does 3 sound correct to you?  What is missing?

Rho:

Here is one source [link] & I often use sites linked at the site in my signature.

limit - a prescribed maximum or minimum amount, quantity, or number

Speed limit - 65mph, you cannot drive faster than 65

"limited time offer" - only available during a specific time frame

"The sky's the limit" - the possibilities are endless [link]

It's good to see you asking new questions Rho, you aren't just limiting yourself to the original post in this thread.

MrPedantic,

You continue to only partially quote me.  There was more in that post than just AFTER and BEFORE.  There was also the ACTION.

AFTER + ACTION = complete thought
BEFORE + ACTION = complete thought

____ you quote me again, please include both the action and a time reference like before or after.

NOT TAKE PLACE, the "not" is part of conjugating the phrasal verb "take place" in the negative form, it is not part of any time reference.  The time reference can stand on its own regardless the tense.

I will underline where the time and the action in my full post is located.  LOOK carefully this time:

Post :143558

After ten years does not have a limit.  2017 is more than 10 years and is after 10 years from now,  2018 is also more than 10 years and is also after 10 years from now.

Not before 10 years from now has a limit.  It is isolating a time between Oct 1, 2005 and Oct 1, 2015.

AFTER - I wouldn't use either because each time you use "after", you aren't telling the listener/reader any concrete time in the future.  In this case, I would use "be/in at least" to show a time something will possibily occur.

To be realistic, it will be at least 5 or (even) 7 years from now before this proposal will (ever) take place.  (Interesting huh?  "before" is now used, not "after")

----

In addition, there are real life examples to illustrate my point.  If you go to a restaurant, you may see a sign which says or is similar to the following "NO SMOKING".  Does this mean we can smoke at the restaurant?  NO, you have to go somewhere else. 

Using "outside", we could change the example to be "Smoke outside".  Both essentially say the same thing, but no smoking isolates one area you cannot smoke, whereas smoke outside doesn't isolate where outside you are to smoke.  It simply indicates at best a desire to not smoke in one area.

----

To sum up:

minus signs = NOT = where you see the no smoking sign
plus signs = Possible action of some event = outside

NOW(--------isolated time-------------)10 years after++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ and so on....................++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++.............and so on++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++........and________

The plus signs never end because the proposal could take place anytime after 10 years from now, but the minus signs start and stop at a specific time.  Similarily, you cannot smoke where the minus signs are, but you can smoke anywhere outside the restaurant.  Where you go is your choice.  The sky's the limit!!!

There should be an anonymous post and it's mine. To make sure.

So am I