Before, until, and while

Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

Before vs. Until vs. While

Examples:

1) Let’s go for a walk before lunch. [What should we do today?]

2) We walked until noon and then we ate lunch.

3) I cleaned the apartment before my mother arrived.

4) I cleaned the house until my mother came.

5) Call me before 11pm.

6) I waited for his call until 11pm.

7) Eat a good dinner before you have dessert.

8) We don’t eat dessert until we finish dinner.

9) He has to finish the project before he can go on vacation.

10) Until the project is completed, he can’t leave town.

11) Wait until I finish reading this page.

12) Before I read my book, I have to finish my homework. Or: I have to finish my homework before I read my book.

13) We stopped driving before sunset.

14) He drove until it got dark.

15) We visited Italy until the end of July and then flew back to Denver.

16) Before we flew to Rome, we spent a week visiting southern Germany.

17) I finished reading my book before I went to sleep.

18) He read and read until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

19) She ran 10 miles before breakfast.

20) I get up extra early every morning and study English until the sun rises.

Summary:

A happens before B. “I clean the kitchen before I go to bed.”

A happens until B. “I’ll study German until you arrive.”

“While” is used when two things are going on or happening at the same time. For example: I listen to the radio while I eat breakfast.

21) I like to listen to music while I exercise.

22) She sings while she washes dishes.

23) I doodled while my professor talked about Russian history.

24) Make hay while the sun shines.

# 24 is a proverb. Your homework is to look up its meaning on the internet.
Link to my Telegram account for notifications of lessons on Tandem.

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Support the show

You can now support my podcasts and classes:
Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!