I never had anyone in the building to talk to_____ MEg moved in last year

Question

I never had anyone in the building to talk to___ MEg moved in last yeara) by the timec) untilI chose a but the answer was c. But I think they are equal in this situation. So anyone?

Philip · Accepted Answer

By the time I get to Phoenix she'll be rising.
By the time you receive this letter I'll be out of town.
By the time he realizes how good you are for him he will have lost you completely.

I won't pay you for the work until you have finished.
They won't quit until five o'clock. [By 5:00 they will have finished.]

Perhaps someone else can put "reason" to my examples.

CalifJim · Answer

There's nothing in the sentence that suggests a need for by the time. I don't think by the time is ever equivalent to until.

You finish doing something by the time something else finishes or happens. It is as if two activities are happening at the same time, but one finishes before the other; the one finishes by the time the other finishes (or happens).
I think I can get to the theatre by the time the play starts. (I'm hurrying toward the theatre. The actors are getting ready to start the play. I hope that my hurrying will finish with my arrival at the theatre before the actors' preparations finish in the starting of the play.)
If you never had anyone in the building to talk to, there's nothing in the situation that suggests you finished doing anything. You weren't even trying to do anything. Generally speaking, negative stative statements like "never had anyone to talk to" do not go with by the time because nothing is happening which can come to an end.
Similarly, the following makes no sense: *Jane was never happy by the time dinner was ready. Jane was just being unhappy. She wasn't doing anything; she wasn't trying to finish anything; she wasn't trying to reach any goal.
Similarly, the following makes no sense: *Oscar didn't like the book by the time he received the money. Oscar wasn't doing anything that led to a goal. He just had a dislike of the book. There's is nothing here that is going to lead to a conclusion.

Try this one: By the time Frieda arrives at the station, the train will already have left. (Frieda is traveling to the station to catch the train. The people who run the train are preparing to leave. The speaker is saying that, of these two actions in progress, the leaving of the train will finish first, Frieda's arrival at the station will come later. She will miss the train. She will arrive at the station and say, "Unfortunately, the train has already left".)
CJ

Belly · Answer

so that means we use by the time in case it has some connections with the action while until, however, may not?

Yoong Liat · Answer

I would use 'until'.

I never had anyone in the building to talk to_____ MEg moved in last year

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