Fill in the blanks with by or until.
1They should receive the letter ............... Tuesday.
Wrong!
Use "by" for a deadline or the latest time something should happen.
2They said they would finish the job ............... evening.
Wrong!
Use "by" when the job should be finished no later than "evening".
3Can you wait ............... next week?
Wrong!
Use "until" to show that waiting continues up to "next week".
4I waited ............... 11 o'clock, and then I went home.
Wrong!
Use "until" because the waiting continued up to "11 o'clock".
5The cheese has to be used ............... 15 August.
Wrong!
Use "by" for the last date when the cheese can be used, "15 August".
6She should have arrived ............... now.
Wrong!
The expression "by now" means before or at the present time.
7We waited ............... it stopped raining.
Wrong!
Use "until" because the waiting continued up to the time it stopped raining.
8I stayed in bed ............... 12 o'clock.
Wrong!
Use "until" because staying in bed continued up to "12 o'clock".
9The meeting has been postponed ............... Friday.
Wrong!
Use "until" when an event is delayed to happen at a later time, here "Friday".
10I will be away ............... Wednesday.
Wrong!
Use "until" because being away continues up to "Wednesday".
11He is expected to be here ............... evening.
Wrong!
Use "by" when he is expected to arrive no later than "evening".
12They had left ............... the time we reached their home.
Wrong!
Use "by" in "by the time" to mean before the moment another event happened.
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- They should receive the letter by Tuesday.
- They said they would finish the job by evening.
- Can you wait until next week?
- I waited until 11 o’clock, and then I went home.
- The cheese has to be used by 15 August.
- She should have arrived by now.
- We waited until it stopped raining.
- I stayed in bed until 12 o’clock.
- The meeting has been postponed until Friday.
- I will be away until Wednesday.
- He is expected to be here by evening.
- They had left by the time we reached their home.