Write the report until 5 pm.
Write the report by 5 pm. 

Write the report until 5 pm means “Start writing the report now, continue writing it until 5 pm, then stop writing it regardless of whether it is finished or not.”

Write the report by 5 pm means “Make sure that at 5 pm the report is written and finished”. This example makes more sense than the first one.

As a preposition of time by means on or before.
E.g. We will send you the documents by tomorrow.

• Use “by” when you refer to a deadline.

Until means up to a particular time.
E.g. We have until tomorrow to send out the documents.

• Use “until” when you refer to the period of time before a deadline.

By is used to describe an action or event that happens on or before a particular moment.
E.g. We expect to know the judgment by the end of June.

Until is used to describe a state or situation in the period of time up to a particular moment.
E.g. The court proceedings are expected to last until June.

You may think of until as referring to the moment a state or situation changes.
E.g. Comments on the draft may be submitted until March 2nd.

Here are some more examples:

1. I can do it by 3 pm.
             Now   → do it and finish it →  3 pm (it will be finished)
2. I can do it until 3 pm.
             Now   →       do it       →  3 pm (I’ll stop even if I haven’t finished)
3. I can’t do it by 3 pm.
             Now   → do it / not do it →  3 pm (either way it won’t be finished)
4. I can’t do it until 3 pm.
             Now   →  can’t do it  →  3 pm (I’ll start)

QUIZ

Fill in the sentences with by or until:

1. I need to do the laundry ______ 7pm.
2. They have ______ March 3rd to move out of their apartment.
3. We can play ________ he comes home.
4. My friends are supposed to come _______ next week.

ANSWERS

1. by
2. until
3. until
4. by

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First, let’s look at them separately:

Through

In North America, through means up to and including (a particular point in an ordered sequence), (from …) to … inclusive.

“They will be in town from March 1st through April 8th”

“The exhibition is open Friday through Sunday”

To/Until

These two sentences mean the same thing:

“We lived in Haiti from 2000 to 2009.”

“We lived in Haiti from 2000 until 2009.”

They both refer to a period of time that began at some point in the year 2000 (we don’t know exactly what point) and ended in the year 2009 (again, we don’t know at exactly what point in that year).

Some native speakers of English report that “from 2000 to 2009” sounds slightly more natural to them than “from 2000 until 2009,” so it might be a better choice if you are trying to choose between the two forms. However, both forms are correct and acceptable – there is no wrong choice.

Now, let’s look at the differences between them:

Through vs. To/Until

If you say “We lived in Haiti from 2000 through 2009,” this is different. “Through 2009” means until the end of that year. Therefore, “from 2000 through 2009” refers to a time period that began sometime in the year 2000 and lasted until the very end of 2009.

Take a look at these sentences:

I work here from 9 to 5.
I work here from 9 until/till 5.
I work here from 9 through 5.

The last one is not common because it’s a little ambiguous. Through generally means until the end of, which is not the intended meaning here. For example, if you were to say, “I’ll be working at this company through May,” it would mean until the end of May.

How about these sentences:

I work here from Monday to Friday.
I work here Monday through Friday. (note that “from” is absent here)
I work here from Monday until/till Friday.

“Monday to Friday” is very common. Until/till may signify you’re leaving work for some reason on Friday. For example, if you say, “I’ll be in Paris till Friday,” you’d be marking a departure date.

Sometimes through and until can be used together as in the following example:

“I struggle through until payday.” Through here means continuing in time toward completion of (a process or period).

Until marks a time limit that is not included in the activity we are talking about. In other words, “I struggle the whole time before payday, on payday I don’t struggle any longer”.

QUIZ

Fill in with the correct preposition:

1. The museum can be visited Tuesday __________ Sunday.
2. The Post Office is open from 8am __________ 5pm.
3. I ate ____________ my lunch break.
4. I am free from 3pm ___________ 5pm.

ANSWERS

1. through; 2. to or until/till; 3. through; 4. to or until/till

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Prepositions can be confusing for English learners. Here are a few basic ones, along with pictures to illustrate their most common meaning, a few usage guidelines and examples:

Of  

Used to show a connection, belonging, or possession:

• The secret of this game is that you can’t ever win. (belonging)
• The highlight of the show is at the end. (belonging)
• The first page of the book describes the author’s profile. (belonging)
• Don’t touch it. That’s the bag of my friend’s sister. (possession)
• I always dreamed of being rich and famous. (connection)

To  

Used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward, or the direction of something:

• I am heading to the entrance of the building.
• The package was mailed to Mr. Kim yesterday.
• All of us went to the movie theater.

Used to indicate a limit or an ending point:

• The snow was piled up to the roof.
• The stock prices rose up to 90 dollars.
• I work nine to six, Monday to Friday.

Used to indicate relationship:

• This letter is very important to your admission.
• My answer to your question is in this envelope.

Used to indicate the time, meaning “before“:

• It is now 10 to five. (In other words, it is 10 minutes before 5 or 4:50.)

For  

Used to indicate the use or purpose of something:

• This place is for exhibitions and shows.
• I baked a cake for your birthday.
• She has been studying hard for the final exam.

Used to mean “because of“:

• I am so happy for you.
• We feel deeply sorry for your loss.
• For this reason, I’ve decided to quit this job.

Used to indicate a period of time or duration:

• He’s been famous for many decades.
• I attended the university for one year only.
• This is all I have for today.

On  

Used to express positioning (a surface of something) or to indicate a street:

• I put an egg on the kitchen table.
• The paper is on my desk.
• I live on Main Street.

Used to specify specific days and dates:

• The garbage truck comes on Wednesdays.
• I was born on the 14th day of June in 1988.

Used to indicate using a device or machine, such as a phone or computer:

• He is on the phone right now.
• She has been on the computer since this morning.
• My favorite movie will be on TV tonight.

Used to indicate the state of something:

• Everything in this store is on sale.
• The building is on fire.
• Turn the lights on, please.

At  

Used to point out a specific hour or an unspecific time during the night:

• I will meet you at 12 p.m.
• The bus will stop here at 5:45 p.m.
• I usually study at night.

Used to indicate that something is happening/someone is present in a specific place or an address:

• There is a party at the club house.
• There were hundreds of people at the park.
• We saw a baseball game at the stadium.
• I live at 3 Barber Road.

Used to indicate an email address:

• Please email me at soandso@soandso.com.

Used to indicate an activity:

• He laughed at my acting.
• I am good at drawing a portrait.

In  

Used for unspecific times during a day, month, season, year:

• She always reads newspapers in the morning.
• In the summer, we have a rainy season for three weeks.
• The new semester will start in March.

Used to indicate positioning inside a location or place:

• She looked me directly in the eyes.
• I am currently staying in a hotel.
• My hometown is Los Angeles, which is in California.

Used to indicate a shape, color, or size:

• This painting is mostly in blue.
• The students stood in a circle.
• This jacket comes in four different sizes.

Used to express “while doing something“:

• In preparing for the final report, we revised the tone three times.
• A catch phrase needs to be impressive in marketing a product.

Used to indicate a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling:

• I believe in the next life.
• We are not interested in gambling.

[Quiz 1]

Identify all the prepositions in the following sentences:

After flying for many hours, we finally got off the airplane. We walked out the exit and went to the baggage claim area. There were hundreds of different bags on the conveyer belt. I almost picked up the wrong one because it looked like mine.

[Quiz 2]

Choose the correct preposition in each sentence:

1) I want to lose 5 kilogram                      (on, at, in) one month.
2) Could you get me this pants                      (on, at, in) a larger size?
3) She seems to be interested                      (on, at, in) Psychology.
4) I will come to pick you up                      (on, at, in) 2 pm tomorrow.
5) This class will be held                      (on, at, in) Mondays.

[Quiz 3]

Choose the correct preposition in each sentence:

1) I slept                      (of, to, for) only two hours last night.
2) It was my first trip                      (of, to, for) Hawaii.
3) Turn off the TV and go straight                      (of, to, for) bed.
4) This book was written                      (of, to, for) the people who want to learn how to play a guitar.
5) I was late                      (of, to, for) school.
6) Spencer is one                      (of, to, for) my best friends.

Answers

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