conjunctive phrase · neutral
by then
/baɪ ˈðen/BY·THEN
speakingtask2
by that time; at the time previously mentioned
Examples
“By then, most shops had already closed.”
“I missed the first train and by then there was heavy traffic.”
“She had learned a lot by then and felt ready for the exam.”
Band 8 sentence
“By then, urban planners had implemented traffic-calming measures that significantly reduced congestion over the following years.”
Collocations
- By then + clause (often past perfect in narratives)
Word family
by that time phraseby then (adv.) adverbial phrase
Common mistakes
in then→by then
at then→by then
By then I finish.→By then I had finished.
Say it for a higher band
5then→6by that time→7+by then
Synonyms
by that time
Easily confused
by the time
“By the time I arrived, the concert had already started.”
Related words
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In Sequence
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