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Yzh1978 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

By , untill, before

1 I lived there untill 1996.
2 I lived there before 1996.
3 I lived there by 1996.
A grammar book says the third one is wrong

i feel confused since " by" means "no later than" .
Therefore ," I live there no later than 1996" does make sense to me . Anyone helps ?
  

Top answer

yzh1978 A grammar book says the third one is wrong It is wrong because the meaning is extremely odd: one knows when one lived somewhere. It is also wrong because we would expect past perfect with a time previous to another past time. With other contexts the structure works fine: I had finished school by 1996.

— Mister Micawber

  • yzh1978 A grammar book says the third one is wrong It is wrong because the meaning is extremely odd: one knows when one lived somewhere.
  • It is also wrong because we would expect past perfect with a time previous to another past time.
  • With other contexts the structure works fine: I had finished school by 1996.
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7 Answers
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yzh1978A grammar book says the third one is wrong
It is wrong because the meaning is extremely odd: one knows when one lived somewhere. It is also wrong because we would expect past perfect with a time previous to another past time. With other contexts the structure works fine:

I had finished school by 1996.
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Thank you ,so the 2 is also wrong since "before 1996"is also not exact and it might be converted into " I had lived there before 1996"?
And what is the difference between the pair (1) I had lived there by 1996.(2)I had lived there before 1996.
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yzh1978so the 2 is also wrong since "before 1996"is also not exact and it might be converted into " I had lived there before 1996"?
No, not at all. #2 is fine. I was born before 1980.
yzh1978And what is the difference between the pair (1) I had lived there by 1996.(2)I had lived there before 1996.
Nothing really; #1
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Thank you for you paitence. "By" means "at or before"; we can either use "I lived at 1996" or " i lived there before 1996" . We can't say "I lived there by 1996" just like we can't say "I lived there at or before 1996".
Am I right?
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yzh1978 "I lived at 1996"
No meaning.
yzh1978 I lived there before 1996"
OK.
yzh1978We can't say "I lived there by 1996" just like we can't say "I lived there at or before 1996".Am I right?
Yes, that is a good comparison.
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Sorry to bother you again. What is the difference between these 2 sentences?
1 I will live there by 2015.
2 I will have lived there by 2015.
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yzh1978What is the difference between these 2 sentences? 1 I will live there by 2015.2 I will have lived there by 2015.
It is just the mental perspective of the speaker. In #1, s/he is viewing the future from now. In #2, s/he is viewing the same future from farther in the future.
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