Before vs Prior


Before and prior are words that are used
interchangeably in English language to indicate
an event that took place in advance, earlier, or
previously. In fact, whenever we need a word to
indicate the fact of an ‘earlier than’ event, we
make use of either before or prior to. Is there
any difference between the two words or is it a
matter of personal preference? Let us find out
in this article.

Before


Before is an antonym of after and it is used
very commonly to refer to events that took
place earlier than or previously in a timeline.
‘Before and after’ is a phrase that is used for
differences in the symptoms of patients as well
as differences in the appearance of a man or a
woman after taking a treatment or after doing
some exercises. Take a look at the following
sentences to understand the meaning and
usage of before.
• Please take your gift before leaving
• The train had left before I reached the
station
• The sun was shining brightly before it
started to rain
• The world was not united in its war
against terror before 9/11


Prior to


Something or someone that exists or comes
before in time or order is referred to as prior.
Prior is an adjective that means former or
previous. This becomes clear in the following
sentence.

Do you have any prior experience?

If this is a question that an employer asks to a
job aspirant, it means he desirous to know if
the applicant has any previous experience of
the work that is expected of him.

If a person says he has got prior permission, it
means he has obtained permission in advance
or previously.
You cannot ask us to evict the place without
any prior notice. In this sentence, it becomes
clear that if a notice has not been served in
advance, the place cannot be cleared of people
living on it.
When prior is used in the sense of previously or
earlier than, it is always used as prior to.

• India was divided into princely states prior
to 1947

• The authorities planned careful eviction of
people 3 days prior to the predicted
Tsunami date

• Prior to becoming the Governor of
California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a
Hollywood actor

What is the difference between Before and
Prior?

• Prior to is same as before and there is no
difference between the two.

• Prior is an adjective that means previous
when used alone as in prior appointment or
prior experience.

• There is nothing similar to ‘prior’ to be used
the word after. No one says posterior to in
place of after. This is to say that prior to is
more pompous than before and is a matter of
personal preference only.

Good one.

Two of them a same but context may change their usage.

That's what I understood in your write-up.