previous 
英 [ˈpriːvɪəs]  美 [ˈpriviəs] 
adj. 先前的；过早的

例句：
Did you have any previous knowledge of the case? 

你之前对这件案子有什么了解吗？

He had children from a previous marriage. 

他和前妻有孩子。

The house had been renovated by the previous owner. 

前一位房主翻修过这栋房子。

in the previous chapter 

在前一章中

I had no previous experience of this type of work. 

我之前没有做这种工作的经历。