Prepositions and conjunctions of time by and until (a)

By Rosamund Place | September 28, 2012

Prepositions and conjunctions of time by and until (a)

We use ‘by‘ to describe a situation that continued / will continue up to a certain moment:

  • by two this afternoon
  • by next Monday
  • by the weekend

Eg By the time he left school he had become a very promising chef.
The car will be ready by 10.00 tomorrow morning.
By the weekend we’ll know if they’re coming with us or not.
He should hear about the job by next Monday.

 

We use ‘until‘ to indicate 1) that something happened / will happen around a certain moment in time and 2) that something happened / will happen at or before a certain moment in time

  • until she decides to leave
  • until I recognised him
  • until his birthday
  • until Thursday lunchtime

eg I had to leave the car at the garage until last Tuesday (= at that point it was repaired).
They rented a house from Monday until Friday (= on Friday somebody else arrived and moved in).
You can borrow the caravan until the weekend (= at that point someone else needs it / wants it / or it is not free for you to have).

 

Can you choose by or until in these sentences?

 

1. [Multiple choice]

The programme finishes … nine o’clock.

Answers for Quiz [1].

  • 1. by (correct)
  • 2. until

2. [Multiple choice]

They’re living in Bristol … next year.

Answers for Quiz [2].

  • 1. by
  • 2. until (correct)

3. [Multiple choice]

People are concerned that … 2015 there will be very few of these forests left.

Answers for Quiz [3].

  • 1. by (correct)
  • 2. until

4. [Multiple choice]

She’s working in the library … it closes.

Answers for Quiz [4].

  • 1. by
  • 2. until (correct)

5. [Multiple choice]

We had great fun boating on the lake … the owners arrived, and wanted to use them themselves.

Answers for Quiz [5].

  • 1. by
  • 2. until (correct)

6. [Multiple choice]

… the time she was twelve it had become clear she had a very real chance of making the 2012 Olympics.

Answers for Quiz [6].

  • 1. By (correct)
  • 2. Until

7. [Multiple choice]

You have … the 26th of this month to finish this assignment.

Answers for Quiz [7].

  • 1. by
  • 2. until (correct)

8. [Multiple choice]

All forms must be returned … the end of April.

Answers for Quiz [8].

  • 1. by (correct)
  • 2. until

9. [Multiple choice]

… dinnertime he had finished his chemistry revision.

Answers for Quiz [9].

  • 1. By (correct)
  • 2. Until

10. [Multiple choice]

She went on crying … bedtime.

Answers for Quiz [10].

  • 1. by
  • 2. until (correct)
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