Early

Early is an adverb or an adjective.

Early means ‘near the beginning of a period of time or event’. The comparative and superlative forms are earlier and earliest. We most commonly use early as an adverb:

We’ll have to get up early to catch the flight. (early in the morning)

The meeting’s now taking place in March, two months earlier.

Early can also be used as an adjective:

[talking about a famous composer]

His early music was written mainly for children.

His earliest memories were of life in Brazil.

Early as an adverb can also mean ‘before the time that was expected’:

You’re early. We haven’t had breakfast yet.

Typical error

We don’t use early to mean ‘a short time after now’ or ‘a short time after then’. We use soon:

Let’s meet soon.

Not: Let’s meet early.

They had only been in Greece for a week but they soon learned to speak a few words of the local language.

Not: … but they early learned to speak a few words …

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