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Nevermore1999 Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Before or until
"The book is so interesting that I had read it three times before I realized it"
"The book is so interesting that I had read it three times until I realized it"
Which sentence is right? Why?
"The book is so interesting that I had read it three times until I realized it"
Which sentence is right? Why?
Top answer
Neither sentence sounds natural. "
- Neither sentence sounds natural.
- "
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4 Answers
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Neither sentence sounds natural. The "it" at the end sounds as if it refers to the book (as it would in "this book is so interesting that I had read it three times before I lost it."), rather than "the fact that I had read it three times." I think what you want is something like "This book is so interesting that before I realized what I was doing, I had read it three times."
Definit
Definit
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Hi Nevermore1999
'Before' would be the word to use. The word 'before' simply places 'read the book three times' at an earlier time than 'realized'.
The word 'until' would be better used in reference to duration in time. This is the way you could use 'until' to talk about the same situation:
- I did not realize I had already read the
'Before' would be the word to use. The word 'before' simply places 'read the book three times' at an earlier time than 'realized'.
The word 'until' would be better used in reference to duration in time. This is the way you could use 'until' to talk about the same situation:
- I did not realize I had already read the
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Hi,
. . . before I realized it
Do you possibly mean '. . . before I understood it'?
Clive
. . . before I realized it
Do you possibly mean '. . . before I understood it'?
Clive
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"Before or Until"
It may help you to think of until as meaning "continuously until", "without interruption until".
If you can add "continuously" or "without interruption" and your sentence still makes sense, you can use "until". If there is any action which finishes during the time period you are considering, you can't use "until".
In the sentence
It may help you to think of until as meaning "continuously until", "without interruption until".
If you can add "continuously" or "without interruption" and your sentence still makes sense, you can use "until". If there is any action which finishes during the time period you are considering, you can't use "until".
In the sentence
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