Time connectors help us talk about when things happen. Here are some basic ones:
Before
We can use before + noun / -ing verb, or we can use before + subject + verb:
Before I have breakfast, I read a few pages.
Before having breakfast, I read a few pages.
Before breakfast, I read a few pages.
After
We can use after + noun / -ing verb, or we can use after + subject + verb:
I smoke a cigarette after dinner/ having dinner/ I have dinner.
When we are talking about consecutive actions, we use then or after that, but NOT after.
I got up and had a shower. After, I made breakfast.
I got up and had a shower. Then/After that, I made breakfast.
While
We use while + subject + verb to talk about actions happening at the same time, simultaneously:
I read the newspaper while I was waiting.
As soon as, when, once
As soon as, when, and once have a similar meaning. As soon as means ‘immediately when’:
As soon as/when/once I get home, I’ll finish my homework.
Common mistakes:
We use the present simple and NOT will to express future after before, after, as soon as, when, and once.
When I will get home, I’ll call you - wrong
When I get home, I’ll call you - correct
We use a comma after the first part of the sentence when we start with before, after, while, as soon as, etc. But we do not use a comma if we use before, after, while, as soon as, etc in the second part of the sentence.
Before I go to bed, I brush my teeth.
I brush my teeth before I go to bed.