In time, On time or By the time. Worksheets on Vocabulary. Vocabulary Worksheets for ESL. Free eBook and Free printable PDF.

In time, On time or By the time: worksheets



In time, On time or By the time: worksheets

ON TIME

On time means that there is a specific time established when something is supposed/expected to happen, and it is happening at the planned time.

  • My job interview is scheduled for 4:00 PM.
    If I arrive at 4:00 PM, I am on time for the interview.
  • The flight is scheduled to leave at 10:30 AM.
    If it leaves at 10:30 AM, the flight is leaving on time.
  • The class is supposed to start at 9:00.
    If it does start at 9:00 with no delays, it is starting on time.

If you say “He’s always on time” it means he is punctual; he always arrives at the correct time, he is not late.

If you say “He’s never on time” it means he is always late.


IN TIME

In time means that something happened at the last moment before it was too late; before something bad would happen.

  • The accident victim was seriously injured; they got him to the hospital just in time.
    (If they hadn’t arrived at the hospital, he might have died)
  • I missed the opportunity to go to that college because I didn’t submit my application in time.
  • I left home early and arrived in plenty of time to catch my flight.
  • I got stuck in traffic and arrived just in time to catch my flight.

We often say “just in time” to emphasize that something happened immediately before the limit/deadline, as you can see by comparing the last two example sentences.


By the time

At the time whensomething happens, that is after another event or situation has already passed or occurred.

  • By the time she realized she had cancer, it had already spread.
  • If you don’t have this mess cleaned up by the time I get home, you’re going to be in serious trouble!

Exercises

IN TIME/ON TIME

EXERCISE 1.

Choose the correct expression.

  • 1. Even if we left home late we arrived at the station just in time/on time to catch the train.
  • 2. It’s strange that the show hasn’t started yet, it usually starts in time/on time.
  • 3. He’s the most precise person I’ve ever met, he’s always on time/in time and he never forgets anything.
  • 4. John decided to cancel his flight in time/on time to get the money back.
  • 5. Even if the train left in time/on time we didn’t manage to arrive at the conference in time/on time. When we got there, Professor Johnson had already started his speech.

EXERCISE 2.  

Complete the sentences using the correct form of these verbs:

Trust / confide in / insult / tell

  1.   Even if he ______________ me that he hadn’t drunk anything I didn’t___________________ him and I decided to go home by taxi.
  2.   She is the best friend I could ever have, I can always _______________ her.
  3.   If I were you I _______________________ a word of what he says, he’s a liar.
  4.   If I were you I ________________________ him, he’s a big gossiper.
  5.   That couple made such a scene, they ___________________ each other in the middle of the street.
  6.   You can ________________ me, you can ____________ me all your secrets  and I’ll never _________________ anyone about them.
  7.   Stop __________________ her, you don’t know what you are saying and you don’t know how sensitive she is to criticism.
  8.   “To let the cat out of the bag” is an idiomatic expression that means to _________________ everyone about something.

BY THE TIME

EXERCISE 1.

Rewrite the sentences using by the time.

e.g. I slept late this morning because I had a hangover.

  By the time I woke up, it was nearly time for lunch.

  • The Dutch Olympic swimmer finished 2nd, and the Swiss swimmer finished 1st.    ________________________, the Swiss man had already won the race.
  • You arrived late for our meeting this morning._____________________, I had already had coffee and read the newspaper.
  • The one-year-old baby’s language skills developed quickly.   ______________________________, the baby had learned 75 words.
  • The plane was far from Rome when the passengers ate dinner.______________________, the plane had already travelled 1,000 km.
  • Ann got a haircut in December and when spring arrived, she needed another haircut.________________________, Ann’s hair had grown quite long.
  • I called the pizzeria to order a pizza and then went to pick it up._____________________________, my pizza had already been cooked.
  • Every morning I make coffee for my husband while he’s in the shower._________________________ this morning, I had already prepared my husband’s coffee.
  • Paul was born in 1990 and his sister was born in 1995.____________________________, Paul was already 5 years old.
  • Mr. Smith studied Chinese for 6 years and then moved to China.________________________, Mr. Smith had already learned Chinese.
  • Thomas left town but we didn’t know it until we found his note.______________________ the note, Thomas had already left.

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