“By” or “Until” on the TOEIC: A Deadline or Something That Keeps Going?

Welcome to Win in 5 Minutes English. I'm Jason. Two tiny words, by and until, and they both showed up in that short chat. Both talk about time, but they don't mean the same thing. The TOEIC loves this pair in the part of the test where you read a sentence and choose the missing word. That's Part 5. So even though we're listening today, this one pays off on the reading side too.

Let's start with Karen's answer: "By Friday." By means a deadline. Any time before Friday is fine, but not later. On the test, you might see or hear "no later than Friday" or "before the end of the week." And she adds, "Finance closes the books for the month at five." To close the books means to finish the month's accounting. On the test, that could be "finalize the monthly accounts."

Now the other word. Peter asks about changing his hotel booking, and Karen says, "Only until Wednesday." Until means a window that stays open the whole time, up to that point, and then it closes. He can change it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and then he can't. Why? "After that, the rate is locked." Locked means the price is fixed. It can't change anymore.

And Peter uses until too: "I'll be in meetings until three." The meetings keep going the whole time, up to three o'clock.

Most of the time, here's an easy way to choose. If the action happens once, like sending, submitting, or finishing, use by. If the action keeps going or stays in place, like staying, waiting, or working, use until. So, "Please submit your receipts by Friday." But, "The office is open until six."

Here's the trap. In a fill-in-the-blank question, both words often appear as answer choices, and both look right at first. Don't pick the one that sounds familiar. Ask yourself: does the action happen once, or does it keep going? A few tricky cases exist, but this rule covers most questions. And other time words, like since, don't fit a deadline at all. Since points back to a starting point in the past, like since Monday.

So here's today's big lesson: by is a deadline, until is a stretch of time.

Let's go back to Peter and Karen. Every time you hear by or until, decide: is it a deadline, or something that keeps going?

So, which was which? Send the receipts by Friday: a deadline. Change the booking until Wednesday: a window that stays open, then closes. And the meetings until three. Today's phrases: by Friday, close the books, until Wednesday, the rate is locked. Here's one to try today: the next time you promise something, give a deadline with by. Say, "I'll send it by Friday." On today's page, you'll find a card for each phrase and a quick by-or-until question to test yourself. It's waiting for you in the link below.

Remember, five minutes a day is all you need to win at work, win the TOEIC, and win over your colleagues. And if you have any receipts hiding in your bag, now's a good time to find them. Talk to you next time!