TIME VOCABULARY

Instant: an extremely short period of time

Sentence: He became an instant celebrity with the publication of his first novel.

Chronology: the arrangement of events or dates in the order of their occurrence.

Sentence: The book also has a very useful chronology of events from 1947 to this year.

Circadian rhythm: physical, mental, and behavioral changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle

Sentence: The circadian rhythm is your body’s ability to sleep and wake at certain times.

Dawn: the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.

Sentence: Three prisoners were involved in a dawn jailbreak today.

Decade: a period of ten years

Sentence: The bridge was built a decade ago.

Century: a period of one hundred years.

Sentence: The city centre has scarcely changed in over a century.

Quarter: each of four equal or corresponding parts into which something is or can be divided.

Sentence: I waited a quarter of an hour and then went home.

ERA: a long and distinct period of history.

Sentence: We have entered a new geological era of our own making.

Epoch: a particular period of time in history or a person’s life.

Sentence: Einstein’s theory marked a new epoch in mathematics.

Beforehand: before an action or event; in advance.

Sentence: She had phoned beforehand to let me know she was coming.

Medieval: relating to the Middle Ages.

Sentence: The house is built on the site of a medieval prison.