grammar · formal
by the time + clause, clause
Indicates that something will be completed before a particular time or event.
Examples
“By the time we arrived, the concert had already started.”
“By the time you read this, I will have left.”
“By the time she finishes university, she will have gained a lot of experience.”
Band 8 sentence
“By the time the committee publishes its report, policymakers will already have debated many of its recommendations.”
Collocations
- By the time + present simple, past simple/past perfect
- By the time + present simple, future perfect
Common mistakes
By the time he arrived, we left.→By the time he arrived, we had left.
By the time you come, I will finish the report.→By the time you come, I will have finished the report.
Say it for a higher band
5when ...→6before→7+by the time + clause
Synonyms
when (with careful tense)
Easily confused
when
“When I arrived, the meeting had already started.”
Related words
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In Tenses
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