until - till
Until and
till are common words which are used as prepositions or conjunctions. There is no difference in meaning between
until and
till.
Till is more common in conversation, and is not used in formal writing.
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◊ used as prepositions
If you do something
until or
till a particular time, you stop doing it at that time.
He continued to practise as a vet until 1960.
She would have to wait until Wednesday.
We had to wait till the end of the war.
I said I'd work till 4 p.m.
If you want to emphasize that something does not stop before the time you mention, you can use
up until,
up till, or
up to.
Up until 1950 coal provided over 90% of our energy needs.
Etta had not up till then taken a very active part in the discussion.
Up to now they've had very little say.
If something does not happen
until or
till a particular time, it does not happen before that time.
Details will not be available until January.
We didn't get back till two.
◊ used with 'after'
You can use
until or
till with phrases beginning with `after'.
The Count had resolved to wait until after Christmas to propose to Gertrude.
They have to wait till after school.
You do not use
until or
till to say that something will have happened before a particular time. You do not say, for example, `The work will be finished until four o'clock'. You say `The work will be finished
by four o'clock'.
By 8.05 the groups were ready.
Total sales in these countries reached 1 million by 1980.
◊ used with 'from'
From is often used with
until or
till to say when something finishes and ends.
The ticket office will be open from 10.00am until 1.00pm.
They seem to be working from dawn till dusk.
In sentences like these, you can use
to instead of `until' or `till'. Some American speakers also use
through.
The Blitz on London began with nightly bombings from 7 September to 2 November.
◊ saying how much time there is
If you want to say how much time there is before a particular event, you usually use
to, rather than `until' or `till'.
Only ten shopping days to Christmas.
You only use
until or
till when you are talking about time. You do not use these words to talk about position. You do not say, for example, `She walked until the post office'. You say `She walked
as far as the post office'.
They have gone as far as the Cantabrian mountains.
◊ used as conjunctions
Instead of a noun group, you can use a subordinate clause after
until or
till.
Stay here with me until help comes.
Hold these for me until I ask for them.
They concentrate on one language till they go to university.
Note that you use the simple present tense in the subordinate clause. You do not say, for example `Hold these for me until I will ask for them'.
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You can also use the present perfect tense in the subordinate clause. For example, you can say `I'll wait here until you have had your breakfast'. You do not say `I'll wait here until you will have had your breakfast'.
Tell him I won't discuss anything until I've spoken to my wife.
When you are talking about events in the past, you use the simple past tense or the past perfect tense after
until or
till.
Dr Owen remained Foreign Secretary until Labour lost office in 1979.
He continued watching until I had driven off in my car.
Useful english dictionary.
2012.