As an English teacher, I have been creating content for both Korean learners and global English learners. This blog is where I share the grammar rules I cover in my lessons — and today’s quiz is about two words that confuse even advanced English learners: by and until.
No rules first. Just the quiz. 👇
Quiz Time! 🎯
Question 1: “Please finish the report ___ Friday.”
a) until b) by c) both work
Question 2: “I will wait here ___ you come back.”
a) by b) until c) both work
Question 3: “She studied ___ midnight.”
a) by b) until c) both work
Question 4: “Can you send me the file ___ 3pm?”
a) until b) by c) both work
Question 5: “He didn’t leave ___ the meeting was over.”
a) by b) until c) both work
Drop your answers in the comments! 👇
Now let’s check! 🎉
Q1: b) by “Please finish the report by Friday.” → BY = deadline (finish it at any point before Friday — but not after)
Q2: b) until “I will wait here until you come back.” → UNTIL = continuous action up to a point (waiting the whole time until you return)
Q3: b) until “She studied until midnight.” → UNTIL = continuous action (she kept studying the whole time up to midnight)
Q4: b) by “Can you send me the file by 3pm?” → BY = deadline (send it anytime before 3pm)
Q5: b) until “He didn’t leave until the meeting was over.” → UNTIL = continuous state up to a point (he stayed the whole time until it ended)
The simple rule 🔍
- BY = deadline → do it before this time
- UNTIL = continuous → keep doing it up to this time
Ask yourself: is it a deadline or a continuous action? Deadline → BY Continuous → UNTIL
How did you score?
- 5/5 → Grammar pro! 🏆
- 3-4/5 → Almost there! 💪
- 1-2/5 → Now you know — try again! 😊
Drop your score in the comments! 👇
Want to learn more natural English?
Hi, I’m Yehs Sam 👋 I have been teaching English and creating content to help learners sound more natural and confident — for both Korean learners and global English learners.
🐢⚡ Turtle Zeus — Slow but surely, we get there.
Is there a slang word or English expression you’ve always wanted to know? Drop it in the comments below — I’d love to cover it in my next post!
Leave a Reply