5.73 necessary time

If you want to refer to a 'necessary time', beyond which an event will no longer be relevant, useful, or successful, you can use 'in time' as an adjunct or a complement.

• I would have to do some fast hiking over the hills to reach the rendezvous in time.
• He leapt back, in time to dodge the lashing hooves.

If something happens before the necessary time, you can use 'too early', and if it happens after the necessary time, you can use 'too late'. 'Too early' and 'too late' may be used as adjuncts or as complements.

• Today they hear too much about sex too early.
• It's much too early to assess the community service scheme.
• They arrived too late for the information to be any good.
• It's too late to change that now.