1
Core function
Until the particular stage or time just mentioned.
Example
Up to that point, every trial had produced the same result.
up to that point
/ʌp tuː ðæt pɔɪnt/ · up too that POYNTsequence phrase
Until the particular stage or time just mentioned.
Use up to that point to express this relationship precisely: until the particular stage or time just mentioned.
What up to that point Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Scope in a sentence
Use this expression in its normal grammatical frame so the relationship between the surrounding ideas remains explicit.
Example
The discovery overturned what had, up to that point, been the accepted chronology.
3
Analytical effect
It tells the reader how to interpret the timing, scope, evidence, contrast, condition, or consequence in the statement.
Example
No imported pottery appears in layers deposited up to that point.
Use up to that point Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Up to that point, every trial had produced the same result.
The discovery overturned what had, up to that point, been the accepted chronology.
No imported pottery appears in layers deposited up to that point.
Precision Matters
Up to that point overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
up to that point
vs.Means until the particular stage or time just mentioned.
prior to
Means before a stated time, event, or action.
up to that point
vs.Means until the particular stage or time just mentioned.
from then on
Means starting at a stated time and continuing after it.
up to that point
vs.Means until the particular stage or time just mentioned.
over time
Means as time passes, often through gradual or cumulative change.
up to that point
vs.Means until the particular stage or time just mentioned.
meanwhile
Means indicate that something happens at the same time as another event or during the interval before it is completed.
Test up to that point in Context
The match continued until the stage immediately before the anomaly.
1
The sixth trial produced an anomaly; ___, all results had closely matched the prediction.