usage of "make great time"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,

I heard of these collocations:
I was making great time driving at speed.

Does it mean the opposite of “being behind time” ?
Can I also say I was making great time at the exam and thought that I would finish first ?

Thanks !

2

Hello Alex,

“To make great time” is “to be ahead of schedule in an entirely satisfactory way”.

If I drive from London to Glasgow at the weekend, and arrive an hour earlier than I had expected, I have “made great time”.

  1. I was making great time in the exam, and thought that I would finish first.

To me, this would seem like an unusual metaphor, rather than a usual application of the phrase.

All the best,

MrP