Words / B2

PUNGKCH-oo-uh-l/ˈpʌŋktʃuəl/

Punctual means arriving or happening at the arranged time: a punctual start; punctual trains. On time is everyday; promptly is the adverb twin. A punctual start is in the exam instructions. Mix-up: punctuation; puncture. Do not write punctual for “quite soon”.

Meaning

Arriving or happening at the arranged time.

Examples

• “A punctual start is in the exam instructions, not a courtesy only.”
• “Be punctual for the oral slot, which is the on-time sense.”

Good to know

punctual for; a punctual + noun. Adverb: punctually / promptly. Trap: punctuation. Exams, work, and travel. At the arranged time, not “soon”.

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