Sometimes you look back from a past time. You ask: What was already done by then?

Use the word by and the Past Perfect.

Look at five more sentences:

By means “before that time” or “no later than that time.” Many kinds of past time can follow it.

The past time	Example
A clock time	By ten o’clock, the guests had left.
A day or a date	By Monday, the workers had fixed the roof.
The end of a period	By the end of the week, they had sold every ticket.
An age	By the age of ten, she had learned English.
A year	By 2010, the company had built three factories.
By the time + an action	By the time he retired, he had made enough money.
By then	I called at nine. By then, she had gone home.

At says exactly when. Use the Past Simple. By means before that time. Use the Past Perfect.

Until means up to that time. The action continues, and then it stops.

Remember: by = already done. Until = continued up to then.

The form is the same as lesson 47: had + the past participle. The by part can go first or last.

For a negative, use hadn’t + the past participle. It shows what was not done by that time.

For a question, put had before the subject. Use How many or How much to ask about a number.

Click the tense that completes the sentence correctly.

• 1
  By noon, the shop all the bread. (sell)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — “By noon” means before noon. The shop finished selling first.
• 2
  At noon, the shop its doors. (open)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — “At noon” says exactly when. Use the Past Simple.
• 3
  By the age of thirty, she three books. (write)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — “By the age of thirty” means before she was thirty.
• 4
  By Friday, we the broken window. (fix)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — “By Friday” means before Friday.
• 5
  On her birthday, she a big party. (have)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — “On her birthday” says exactly when. Use the Past Simple.
• 6
  At six o’clock, they dinner. (eat)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — “At six o’clock” says exactly when. Use the Past Simple.
• 7
  By the time I got home, my brother all the pizza. (eat)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — The pizza was gone before I got home.
• 8
  By the end of the trip, he all his money. (spend)

  Past Perfect Past Simple

  ✓ Correct — “By the end of the trip” means before the trip ended.

Type the correct verb form for the verb given.

• 1
  By 9 p.m., she the report. (finish)
• 2
  By the end of the day, they five hundred tickets. (sell)
• 3
  She the report at 9 p.m. and went home. (finish)
• 4
  By the age of thirty, he three books. (write)
• 5
  By midnight, I my decision. (make)
• 6
  By the time we got to the airport, the plane . (already / leave)
• 7
  We dinner at seven o’clock. (eat)
• 8
  By Thursday, they the whole house. (clean)

Type the negative Past Perfect for the verb given.

• 1
  By 9 p.m., she the report. She was still working. (not / finish)
• 2
  By the end of the day, they half of the tickets. (not / sell)
• 3
  By the deadline, he a single word. (not / write)
• 4
  By noon, we anything. (not / eat)
• 5
  By the age of twenty, she to another country. (not / fly)
• 6
  By the time I called, he the news. (not / hear)
• 7
  By Monday, the workers the roof. (not / fix)
• 8
  By the end of the trip, I much money. (not / spend)

Type the missing words of speaker B’s question, using the words given.

• 1
  A: She worked on the report all night.
  B: by 9 p.m.? (she / finish / it)
• 2
  A: The concert was a big success.
  B: How many tickets by the end of the day? (they / sell)
• 3
  A: My uncle retired at sixty.
  B: enough money by then? (he / make)
• 4
  A: Mia is a famous writer now.
  B: How many books by the age of thirty? (she / write)
• 5
  A: The trip was very expensive.
  B: How much money by the end? (you / spend)
• 6
  A: The party ended early.
  B: by ten o’clock? (everyone / go)
• 7
  A: The roof was leaking.
  B: it by Monday? (they / fix)
• 8
  A: We reached the top at noon.
  B: How far by ten o’clock? (you / climb)

Click the word that completes the sentence correctly.

• 1
  She worked 9 p.m. and then went home.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “Until” means up to that time. The action stopped then.
• 2
  The report was finished 9 p.m.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “By” means before that time. The action was already done.
• 3
  We waited midnight, and then the bus came.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “Until” means up to that time. The action stopped then.
• 4
  He lived in Paris 2015. Then he moved to Rome.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “Until” means up to that time. The action stopped then.
• 5
  the end of the day, they had sold every ticket.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “By” means before that time. The action was already done.
• 6
  She had learned English the age of ten.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “By” means before that time. The action was already done.
• 7
  I studied ten o’clock last night.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “Until” means up to that time. The action stopped then.
• 8
  The kitchen was clean Friday.

  by until

  ✓ Correct — “By” means before that time. The action was already done.

Read each question. Choose the sentence that matches.

• By + a past time (a clock time, a day, a year, an age, the end of a period) → Past Perfect.
• At + a time says exactly when → Past Simple.
• Until means the action continued up to that time. By means it was already done.
• Negative: hadn’t + past participle. Question: Had + subject + past participle?
• How many / How much questions ask for a number done by that time.
• Do not use the Present Perfect after by + a past time.

✓ Mark this lesson complete