Neil Cross

I wrote 'Mr. In-Between' very quickly when I was about 23. I wrote the penultimate chapter, then realised I'd done something which was written to the best of my abilities. I panicked. I hesitated to finish the final chapter and went into withdrawal for three years. I decided to pick it up again after I went drinking with author Tim Binding.

British Novelist

Nicholas Galitzine

I'm really into Noel Gallagher's lad culture vibe. I used to wear Fred Perry polo shirts a lot. In fact, I went to an Oasis concert, which I believe was the band's penultimate gig before they disbanded, and I would say about 80 per cent of the audience were wearing the same polo.

English Actor

Lionel Shriver

In the big picture, few of our careers live up to the dreams we nursed when we were young. In fact, one underside of success is that it's nearly always penultimate, and so every accomplishment merely raises the bar.

American Journalist

Philip Treacy

Hats are the epitome of Englishness, and a royal wedding is the penultimate moment for a hat designer. I'm Irish, but I am a royalist and I believe in fantasy.

Irish Designer

Use 'penultimate' to emphasize the importance of the second to last position, often in a buildup to a climax.

Sequence Importance

Avoid 'penultimate' for items without a sequence; it's not correct to use it as a fancier term for 'almost last'.

Not for Pen Names

Be aware others might misunderstand 'penultimate' as 'ultimate'; ensure clarity by contextual cues.

Misinterpretation Risk

 Excuses. We've all met this guy. Maybe we've all been this guy. Some people have a blamethrower. They just pass it on to everybody else and don't take responsibility for their actions, and again, hard to listen to somebody who is being like that. Penultimate, the sixth of the seven,