Unit 120: By and until / By the time ...

English Grammar in Use With Answers » Unit 120: By and until / By the time ...

By ... = not later than:

I sent the documents to them today, so they should receive them by Monday. (= on or before Monday, not later than Monday)
We'd better hurry. We have to be home by 5 o' dock. (= at or before 5 o'clock, not later than 5 o'clock)
Where's Sarah? She should be here by now. (= now or before now - so she should have already arrived)

We use until (or till) to say how long a situation continues:

'Shall we go now?' 'No, let's wait until it stops raining.' or ' ... till it stops raining.'
I couldn't get up this morning. I stayed in bed until half past ten.
I couldn't get up this morning. I didn't get up until half past ten.

Compare until and by:

Something continues until a time in the future:

Joe will be away until Monday. (so he'll be back on Monday)
I'll be working until 11.30. (so I'll stop working at 11.30)

Something happens by a time in the future:

Joe will be back by Monday. (= he'll be back not later than Monday)
I'll have finished my work by 11.30. (= I'll finish my work not later than 11.30.)

You can say 'by the time something happens'. Study these examples:

It's too late to go to the bank now. By the time we get there, it will be closed.
(= the bank will close between now and the time we get there)
(from a postcard) Our holiday ends tomorrow. So by the time you receive this postcard, I'll be back home.
(= I will arrive home between tomorrow and the time you receive this postcard)
Hurry up! By the time we get to the cinema, the film will already have started.

You can say 'by the time something happened' (for the past):

Karen's car broke down on the way to the party last night. By the time she arrived, most of the other guests had left.
(= it took her a long time to get to the party and most of the guests left during this time)
I had a lot of work to do yesterday evening. I was very tired by the time I finished.
(= it took me a long time to do the work, and I became more and more tired during this time)
We went to the cinema last night. It took us a long time to find somewhere to park the car. By the time we got to the cinema, the film had already started.

Also by then or by that time:

Karen finally got to the party at midnight, but by then, most of the other guests had left. or ... but by that time, most of the other guests had left.

120.1 Complete the sentences with by.

We have to be home not later than 5 o'clock.
We have to be home .
I have to be at the airport not later than 8.30.
I have to be at the airport __________ .
Let me know not later than Saturday whether you can come to the party.
__________ whether you can come to the party.
Please make sure that you're here not later than 2 o'clock.
Please make sure that __________ .
If we leave now, we should arrive not later than lunchtime.
If we leave now, __________ .

120.2 Put in by or until.

Steve has gone away. He'll be away ⁽¹⁾ until Monday.
Sorry, but I must go. I have to be home ⁽²⁾ __________ 5 o'clock.
I've been offered a job. I haven't decided yet whether to accept it or not. I have to decide ⁽³⁾ __________ Friday.
I think I'll wait ⁽⁴⁾ __________ Thursday before making a decision.
It's too late to go shopping. The shops are open only ⁽⁵⁾ __________ 5.30 today. They'll be closed ⁽⁶⁾ __________ now.
I need to pay the phone bill. It has to be paid ⁽⁷⁾ __________ tomorrow.
Don't pay the bill today. Wait ⁽⁸⁾ __________ tomorrow.
A: Have you finished redecorating your house?
B: Not yet. We hope to finish ⁽⁹⁾ __________ the end of the week.
A: I'm going out now. I'll be back at about 10.30. Will you still be here?
B: I don't think so. I'll probably have gone out ⁽¹⁰⁾ __________ then.
I'm moving into my new flat next week. I'm staying with a friend ⁽¹¹⁾ __________ then.
I've got a lot of work to do. ⁽¹²⁾ __________ the time I finish, it will be time to go to bed.
If you want to take part in the competition, you have to apply ⁽¹³⁾ __________ 3 April.

120.3 Use your own ideas to complete these sentences. Use by or until.

David is away at the moment. He'll be away .
David is away at the moment. He'll be back .
I'm just going out. I won't be very long. Wait here __________ .
I'm going out to buy a few things. It's 4.30 now. I won't be long. I'll be back __________ .
If you want to apply for the job, your application must be received __________ .
Last night I watched TV __________ .

120.4 Read the situations and complete the sentences using By the time ... .

I was invited to a party, but I got there much later than I intended.
, most of the other guests had left.
I intended to catch a train, but it took me longer than expected to get to the station.
__________ , my train had already left.
I wanted to go shopping after finishing my work. But I finished much later than expected.
__________ , it was too late to go shopping.
I saw two men who looked as if they were trying to steal a car. I called the police, but it was some time before they arrived.
__________ , the two men had disappeared.
We climbed a mountain and it took us a very long time to get to the top. There wasn't much time to enjoy the view.
__________ , we had to come down again.

Answer Key

Favorite Books

English Grammar Tests

PART A: 14 Elementary tests, 14 Pre-Intermediate tests, 8 Intermediate tests. Each test is specified on different grammar topics. PART B: 14 tests including Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate and Upper intermediate level grammar tests. Every test is focused on a different grammar topic. (2452 questions) PART C: 16 Multi-level grammar tests. Each test is specified on a different grammar topic. (1418 questions) PART D: 20 perfect multi-level grammar tests for assessment. (2000 questions) PART E: 6 Elementary, 5 Intermediate, 3 Advanced grammar tests. The formats of the tests are similar and the level gradually increases. (1400 questions)

Table of Contents