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Next

Next is an adjective, an adverb or a pronoun.

Next means the first thing or person immediately after the present thing or person:

  • The next person she met was an old lady who had lived in the village all her life. (adjective)
  • There was a loud bang, and I can’t remember what happened next. (adverb)
  • Each week is just like the next: work, work, work. (pronoun)
warning

Next does not mean nearest:

  • Can you tell me where the nearest supermarket is please?
  • Not: Can you tell me where the next supermarket is please?
See also
  • Nearest or next?

Next as an adjective​

Next or the next?​

When we talk about days of the week, weeks, months, years, seasons or public holidays in the future in relation to now, we use next without the and without a preposition:

  • I have an appointment with the dentist next Wednesday morning.

  • Not: … the next Wednesday morning.

  • Are you working next week?

  • Not: Are you working on next week?

  • Next year will be our fortieth wedding anniversary.

  • We’re going to plant some new flowers next spring.

To refer to the future, we can use the next few hours, the next two days, the next six months, etc.:

  • I’ll finish the work in the next few days. You can pay me then.
  • We’ll be home for the next three weeks, then we’re going away to France for two weeks.

When we talk about times in the past or future not related to now, we normally use the. However, in informal situations, we can omit the when we talk about the past:

  • The next day we travelled to the ancient city of Qom.
  • We’re going to spend the first night in Oslo, then the next day we’ll fly to Narvik.
  • Two policemen grabbed me. Next minute, I was arrested and thrown into a van.

The next time​

We can use the next time to refer to the past or to the future. In informal situations, we can omit the:

  • We’ve been to Australia a few times. The first time we went it was work, then the next time we went it was a mix of work and holiday.
  • The next time you’re in Ireland, you must come and visit us.
  • I saw him about five years ago and he was unemployed. Next time I saw him he was driving a bus. (informal)

Next as an adverb​

  • [a group of children are waiting to ride a pony]
  • Adult: Who wants to go next?
  • Child: Me! Me!
  • He said he was upset about the drama club, but I can’t remember what he said next.

Next as a linking adjunct​

We can use next as a linking adjunct to refer to something which follows immediately after something before. We often use this when giving instructions:

  • To convert your old cassette tapes to CDs, first you will need a cable to connect your cassette player to your computer. Next, you will need some sort of software to convert your music to a digital format such as MP3.

Next as a pronoun​

We can use next as a pronoun with or without the:

  • Ollie’s coming to stay the week after next. (the week after next week)
  • I don’t know how I’m going to manage from one day to the next.

Next to​

We can use next to for people or things that are very near or beside each other:

  • Can I sit next to you at the restaurant? There’s something I want to tell you.

We can also use next to when we are comparing things:

  • Next to English, my best language is Spanish. (English is my best language, then Spanish.)

Next: typical error​

When we say next week, next summer, next August, etc., we don’t use a preposition:

  • I’m going away next Wednesday.
  • Not: I’m going away on next Wednesday.