TIME (CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR IELTS)

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR IELTS

TIME

A.       Use the time clauses in the boxes to complete the sentences. Pay particular attention to the words that come before or after the time clause.

Part 1: One action or situation occurring before another action or situation.

prior to

previously

earlier

formerly

precede

by the time

1	_____________ the advent of the industrial Revolution, pollution was virtually unheard of.
2	_____________ the army had restored order, the city had been almost completely devastated.
3	_____________ known as Burma, the republic of Myanmar is undergoing a slow and painful political transformation.
4	A sudden drop in temperature will usually _____________ a blizzard.
5	It was my first trip on an aeroplane. _____________ I’d always gone by train
6	The Prime Minister made a speech praising charity organisations working in Mozambique. _____________ that day he had promised massive economic aid to stricken areas.

Part 2: One action or situation occurring at the same time as another action.

while/as/just as

during/throughout

at that very moment

in the meantime/meanwhile

1	_____________ the minister was making his speech, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets.
2	_____________ the speech they jeered and shouted slogans.
3	The minister continued speaking. _____________ the police were ordered onto the streets.
4	He finished the speech with a word of praise for the police. _____________ the sun came out and shone down on the assembled crowd of happy supporters.

Part 3: One action or situation occurring after another action or situation.

afterwards

as soon as/once/the minute that

following

1	_____________ the earthquake, emergency organisations around the world swung into action.
2	_____________ the stock market collapsed, there was panic buying on an unprecedented scale.
3	The Klondike gold rush lasted from 1896 to 1910. _____________ the area became practically deserted overnight.

B.        Look at these words and expressions and decide if we usually use them to talk about (1) the past, (2) the past leading to the present, (3) the present or (4) the future. Try to write a sentence for each one.

for the next few weeks	as things stand	ever since	in medieval times
nowadays	from now on	back in the 1990s	over the past six weeks
over the coming weeks and months	in another five years’ time	one day
in those days	a few decades ago	lately	at this moment in time
at the turn of the century	in my childhood/youth	at this point in history
by the end of this year	for the foreseeable future	for the past few months
last century	these days	from 1996 to 1998	sooner or later

ANSWER KEY