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 PRACTICE ON POINTS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR

• Adverb Summary
• Adverb Diagnostic
• Adverb Uses
• Adv for Manner 1
• Adv for Manner 2
• Adv for Time
• Adv Frequency
• Adv for Place
• Adv for Degree
• Splitting Verbs
• After / Before
• By the time
• When / While
• Adverb Phrases
• Because Phrases
• Related Pages

By the Time

Comparing relative events

 

 

By the time is used by speakers to imagine or predict the relative timing of two activities or events in the past, present or future.
Compare these two expressions:

 

 

By the time  vs.  When

BY THE TIME	WHEN
By the time introduces a clause in which the end-point of an activity is the time at which another activity is ongoing or completed.   The clauses have relative-time events or activities. By means before but no later than this time. See  At vs. By	When (at the time) introduces a clause in which an activity (of short duration) interrupts another activity that is ongoing.   The clauses have same-time events or activites..
By the time I get home, the sun will be setting.  (setting is ongoing)	When I get home, the sun will be setting. (setting is ongoing)
By the time I arrive, they will have eaten dinner. (eating is completed.)	When I arrived, I saw that they had already eaten dinner. (Reported as a past event.)

"By the time I get home" means the same as "When I get home".
Also see: When / While

 

 

 

 

 

Imagining Future Events

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE	FUTURE PERFECT
By the time introduces a clause in which the end-point of an activity is the time at which another activity will be ongoing.	By the time introduces a clause in which the end-point of an activity is the time at which another activity will already be completed.
By the time I leave work, the sun will be setting.  (The sun will be starting or  be in the process of setting.)	By the time I leave work, the sun will have set. (The sun will be finished setting.)
By the time I arrive, they will be eating dinner. (They will be just starting or be in the process of eating.)	By the time I arrive, they will have eaten dinner. (They will be finished eating.')

 

 

 

Observing the Relative Timing of Two Events

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE	PRESENT PERFECT
By the time introduces a clause in which the end-point of an activity is the time at which another activity will be ongoing.	By the time introduces a clause in which the end-point of an activity is the time at which another activity will already be completed.
By the time we leave, the sun is setting. (leave - present)	By the time we leave, the sun has already set. (leave - present)
By the time I arrive, they are eating dinner.	By the time I arrive, they have eaten dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

Observing the Past Timing of Two Events

PAST PROGRESSIVE	PAST PERFECT
By the time introduces a clause in which the end-point of an activity is the time at which another activity will be ongoing.	By the time introduces a clause in which the end-point of an activity is the time at which another activity will already be completed.
By the time we left work, the sun was setting. (left - past)	By the time we left work, the sun had set.(left - past)
By the time I arrived, they were eating dinner.	By the time I arrived, they had eaten dinner.

 

 

Common Mistake

ERROR	FIX
By the time I will arrive, they will be eating dinner.	By the time I arrive, they will be eating dinner. Omit "will" in a future by-the-time clause.   Future Statements - when, before, after, by the time

 

 

 

 

Practice

Imagining Future Events

 

 

1. Select the correct verb form from the menu list.
2. Then, click the button to check your answer.

 

#	YOUR  RESPONSE	FEEDBACK
1.	By the time the semester ends, I — will be completing will have completed all my assignments.
2.	By the time the semester ends, I — will be thinking will have thought about which university or college I would like to attend.
3.	By the time I finish college, I — will be earning will have earned an MBA.  (Masters degree in Business Administration)
4.	By the time I finish college, I — will be looking will have looked for a better job with my new degree. (ongoing)
5.	I — will be earning will have earned enough to put a down-payment on a house by the time I am 30. (down-payment — an initial payment made at the time of purchase)
6.	I — will be considering will have considered who(m) I would like to marry by the time I am 30.
7.	I hope I — will be enjoying will have enjoyed more vacation time, by the time I reach 35.  (ongoing)
8.	By the time I am 35, I — will be gaining will have gained a few years of work-experience. (gain — added)
9.	By age 45, I — will be moving will have moved toward becoming a manger or CEO. (moving — working with a goal)
10.	By age 45, I — will have understood will be understanding the essential aspects (things) of managing a company.  About stative verbs
11.	By the time I reach the age of sixty-five, my hair — will be turning will have turned gray . (completed)
12.	By the time I reach the age of sixty-five, I - will be working will have worked for more than forty years.
13.	By the time I reach seventy, I — will retire will have retired . (retirement age is approximately 65)
14.	I — will be enjoying will have enjoyed "the fruits of my labor" by the time I retire.   (the rewards of my labor)