What is the formal version of until?
Until is usually perceived as slightly more formal than till—possibly because of the mistaken belief that till is just a shortened form of until. But the difference isn't huge. You can still use till in formal writing without being wrong.
synonyms for until
On this page you'll find 16 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to until, such as: as far as, before, before the coming, continuously, down to, and in advance of.
| up to the present moment | hitherto |
|---|---|
| up to now | up to this point |
| as of now | up to the present time |
| yet | up till now |
| up until now | heretofore |
The word 'until' is used in formal notices/letters or any other form of writing, whereas the word 'till' has a more casual tone to it.
Until next time.
This option is mostly used in casual situations, but can also work in formal settings. It conveys that you'll be seeing the person again sooner or later.
Until can be used in the following ways: as a preposition (followed by a noun): She continued to get a salary until the end of March. as a conjunction (connecting two clauses): I stayed there until he arrived. Baker is expected to be here until the end of the week.
- cultivate.
- dig.
- plow.
- work.
Example Sentences
Conjunction We played until it got dark. Keep going until I tell you to stop. I ran until I was breathless. Stay here until the danger has passed.
As for “until now,” yes it's correct English. There are dozens of examples in the Oxford English Dictionary. The earliest one (using “til” instead of “until”) is from the Wycliffe Bible of 1382, the first English version of the Bible.
"Until" is more often used in the middle of a sentence, but it can be used at the beginning. Until she knows what she wants to do, it will be hard for her to find a job that she likes. Until the weather gets warmer, it is not a good idea to go on a picnic. Until the rain stops, the game cannot start.
What is the short word for until?
Until, till, and 'til all mean the same thing. The informal contraction 'til is a shortening of until that's typically only used in informal contexts. The word till is a separate word altogether—it's actually older than until.
Subordinating conjunctions such as after, as soon as, before, now that, once, till, until, and while begin the adverbial clause and modify the verb by showing when the action of the independent clause occurred.
Complex sentences are easy to spot as they often use subordinating conjunctions like because, since, or until to connect clauses.
Complex sentences are often formed by putting these words at the beginning of the dependent clause: as, as if, before, after, because, though, even though, while, when, whenever, if, during, as soon as, as long as, since, until, unless, where, and wherever.