Fill in the blanks with by or until.
1You should be home ............... 6 o'clock.
Wrong!
Use "by" for a deadline meaning at or before 6 o'clock.
2Please wait here ............... I come back.
Wrong!
Use "until" to show that the waiting continues up to the time I come back.
3He will be away ............... Friday.
Wrong!
Use "until" to show that his absence continues up to Friday.
4I won't leave ............... the manager comes.
Wrong!
Use "until" after a negative verb to mean the leaving will not happen before the manager comes.
5You have to finish the job ............... evening.
Wrong!
Use "by" for a deadline meaning at or before evening.
6She will stay with her parents ............... Friday.
Wrong!
Use "until" to show that her stay continues up to Friday.
7I will not forget that experience ............... my death.
Wrong!
Use "until" to show that not forgetting continues up to the time of death.
8............... the time he realized his mistake, it was already too late.
Wrong!
Use "By" in the fixed time phrase "By the time".
9We finally reached the station half an hour late. ............... then the train had already left.
Wrong!
Use "By" in the time phrase "By then" to mean before that time.
10I will be working ............... 6 pm.
Wrong!
Use "until" to show that the working continues up to 6 pm.
11Last night I watched TV ............... 2 am.
Wrong!
Use "until" to show that watching TV continued up to 2 am.
12............... the time I reached home, most of the guests had already left.
Wrong!
Use "By" in the fixed time phrase "By the time".
Exercise complete
0 out of 12
correct answers
Answers
- You should be home by 6 o’clock.
- Please wait here until I come back.
- He will be away until Friday.
- I won’t leave until the manager comes.
- You have to finish the job by evening.
- She will stay with her parents until Friday.
- I will not forget that experience until my death.
- By the time he realized his mistake, it was already too late.
- We finally reached the station half an hour late. By then the train had already left.
- I will be working until 6 pm.
- Last night I watched TV until 2 am.
- By the time I reached home, most of the guests had already left.

