Turtle Zeus

  • “By vs Until” — Can You Get All 5 Right? (Preposition Quiz)

    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!