Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner1]

Hello,

Are 'later' and 'later on' interchangeable in the sentences?

1.He hasn't arrived yet but no doubt he'll be here later on/later.

2.Later on/Later, she realized what he had meant.

Thank you very much.

[bud]

Yes.

So that leaves the question, "What does 'on' add to the meaning?" My guess is that it involves a clear connection between before and after. If there is no apparent connection, "later on" probably will not sound right.

[learner1]

[bud]

Yes, you can use either "later" or "later on" in both of your sentences with no change in meaning.

Please ignore the rest of my first post. I can't think of a good example where "later" sounds good while "later on" sounds wrong.

[learner1]

Hello bud,

Thank you very much for your reply. I think I understand your meaning.