Time and Sequence Signals: Previously, Subsequently, Initially, Ultimately

Track the order of events in informational texts with precise sequence words.

Beyond 'first', 'next', and 'last', academic texts use more precise time words. 'Initially' means at the beginning. 'Previously' and 'prior to' refer to an earlier time. 'Subsequently' means afterward, later. 'Simultaneously' means at the same time. 'Ultimately' means in the end, finally, often after a long process. 'Meanwhile' points to something happening at the same time in a different place. History and science texts depend on these words because they often discuss events out of order.

Read: 'The bridge was ultimately rebuilt in steel. Initially, engineers had planned a wooden design, but a flood subsequently destroyed the site. Meanwhile, the town relied on a ferry. ' Sorted into true time order: the wooden plan came first, then the flood, then the ferry during the gap, and steel at the very end. The sentences were not in order, but the signal words let you rebuild the timeline.

• 1Initially means at first; ultimately means in the end.
• 2Previously means earlier; subsequently means later.
• 3Simultaneously and meanwhile mean at the same time.