![]() ![]() There is another factor here, which is that timely can, in theory, be used as an adverb: ‘The report was filed timely’ ‘The Trustee will vote as instructed…if the Trustee timely receives such participant’s voting instructions’ (two real life examples). Perhaps the difference reflected in the varying OED/Webster’s definition of timely reflects a difference in UK/US usage? The above quotation was taken from an American website. But Webster makes ‘sufficiently early’ explicit. The OED’s ‘at a favourable time’ seems to rule out the possibility of ‘by a good time’ (i.e. ![]() Merriam-Webster is a bit less supportive of my cause, however: ‘Being or occurring in good time sufficiently early seasonable.’ Nothing about ‘done within the deadline’. The OED supports me in this, I think: ‘done or occurring at a favourable or useful time opportune’. I guess what I dislike about this sentence is the use of timely to mean ‘prompt’ or ‘on-time’. I would equally be happy with someone’s work being timely, if they were some sort of philosopher or critic, or if the work in question offered a relevant and balanced commentary on a contemporary issue – in particular if said issue had gone under-analysed up to this point. Now, to me timely suggests that something is done at the right or appropriate time: a timely interjection, for example, or a timely reminder. ![]() “ Their work is timely, accurate and cost efficient.”ĭoes there seem to be something wrong with this sentence? There did to me, too, namely the use of the word timely. ![]()
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