carry forward — to move something to a later time or to the next stage
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutraloccasional
to transfer something, such as an amount, plan, or task, to a future time or the next stage because it was not finished or used before.
Say it like a native
Textbook Any unused leave will be transferred to the subsequent year.
Native Any unused leave gets carried forward to next year.
'Carry forward' is the standard term for moving a balance or task on; the paraphrase is heavy.
Pattern: carry something forward
In use
- We didn't finish the project this week, so we'll have to carry it forward to next week.work
- If I can't use all my annual leave this year, my company allows me to carry forward a few days to the next year.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ The losses were carry forward to next year.
✓ The losses were carried forward to next year.
Use the past participle 'carried forward' in the passive — not 'carry forward'.
Common collocations
carry forward + balance/task— the balance, unused days, a loss, momentum
Don't confuse it
'Carry on' means to continue doing something, not to move it to the future.