Soon vs. early

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Pucca

#496003 Wed, 02 Apr 08 11:34 PM

Hello everyone!

I have a problem, I don't know what the difference between those two is!

I know when someone is leaving and you think he hasn't stayed long enough you say "So soon?" and not "So early?"
But, what if you want to write something like:

"Sorry for not giving you the information earlier" - Should it be "sooner" or "earlier"?

Thanks in advance!

Pucca

Joined on Sun, Aug 27 2006

Senior Member (2,807)

¿Alguna vez has tenido un sueño tan real que al despertarte no sabías qué creer?

Difference between

Clive

#496008 Thu, 03 Apr 08 12:04 AM

Hi,

I have a problem, I don't know what the difference between those two is!

I know when someone is leaving and you think he hasn't stayed long enough you say "So soon?" and not "So early?" Sounds OK.
But, what if you want to write something like:

"Sorry for not giving you the information earlier" - Should it be "sooner" or "earlier"? Both sound OK.

Sometimes, you can use either. But consider this example.

Mary's appointment with the doctor is at 6pm. At 7pm, she calls the doctor and says,

"I'm late. I'm very sorry. But I will be there soon.'

Pleasse post again if you need more explanation

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004

Canada

Veteran Member (19,491)

El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo

Difference between

Pucca

#496013 Thu, 03 Apr 08 12:18 AM

Thanks for answering, Clive! Smile

So, there is not a rule for when to use each one?

What if Mary arrives at 5pm instead of at 6pm?

Should she say "I'm soon" or "I'm early"? I'm early sounds better but, "soon" also means "pronto"

Another thing, I can say "It's early in Canada, right?" - What if I said "It's soon in Canada, right?" Would it be wrong?

Pucca

Clive

#496019 Thu, 03 Apr 08 12:49 AM

Hi,

early before the due, usual, thought-of or expected time.

soon within a short period of time from now or from some some previously mentioned past time time.

Now let's look at your last examples.

What if Mary arrives at 5pm instead of at 6pm?

Should she say "I'm soon" or "I'm early"? I'm early sounds better but, "soon" also means "pronto"

She's early, because she has arrived before the expected time.

You can't say 'I'm soon' in any situation, because 'soon' is an adverb.

Another thing, I can say "It's early in Canada, right?" As long as I know 'earlier than when'. eg Earlier than the time that Canadians go to bed?

- What if I said "It's soon in Canada, right?" Would it be wrong? If you mean the same as the above example about Canadian bed-time, yes, it's wrong.

It depends on your meaning and on the context. eg On December 23rd, you migtht say 'Christmas is soon'. However, it'd be better to say 'It will soon be Christmas'.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

Verbs, Adverbs

Pucca

#496024 Thu, 03 Apr 08 01:16 AM

I think I understand it now, thanks for your help! Left Hug

Pucca

Anonymous

#496031 Thu, 03 Apr 08 02:14 AM

''so soon?'' means ''so quickly?''

Anonymous

Clive

#496033 Thu, 03 Apr 08 02:25 AM

Hi,

''so soon?'' means ''so quickly?''

I didn't think you would telephone me so soon. This means that I didn't think you would telephone me in such a short period of time from some previous time. eg perhaps from the time that I said 'Call me'.

I didn't think you would telephone me so quickly. This means that I didn't think you would use so much speed. eg maybe you ran to the nearest phone and called me.

Best wishes, Clive

Clive

New2grammar

#496078 Thu, 03 Apr 08 07:18 AM

This is probably a good example to understand the difference between fast and quick. Occasionally, I still have problem distinguishing between the two. Some say fast is related to speed while quick is related to time used. To me, time used and speed are related. The shorter the time spent the higher the speed is. So when you say quick, you mean fast.

But in this case,

I didn't think you would phone so fast. (sounds like the person dialed at a high speed)

Can anyone help me solve this fast-quick mystery?

Thanks

Sorry to interrupt. If needed, I can create a new thread. Your example just triggered this thought so I thought I should bring it up here.

New2grammar

Joined on Tue, Nov 21 2006

Veteran Member (6,920)

Who wants to go sailing around the world with me?

Difference between

Hoa Thai

#496095 Thu, 03 Apr 08 07:54 AM

New2grammar
Some say fast is related to speed while quick is related to time used.

Hi,

That is right. I’m sure you know the story about the race between the rabbit and the turtle. The rabbit was faster than the turtle but the turtle finished the race quicker than the rabbit - right?

Hoa Thai

Joined on Mon, Oct 15 2007

Vietnam

Contributing Member (1,092)

Best Regards - Hoa Thai

Grammar