Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Language / Grammar / Difference Between Till and Until

Difference Between Till and Until

August 4, 2013 Posted by Admin

Till vs Until
 

Till and until are two words that are used very frequently in English language. They mean the same, making people use them interchangeably. However, there is a subtle difference between the two words, necessitating proper usage of these words. There are many who feel that till is an abbreviation of until and use it in place of until which is wrong. This article takes a closer look at these words to come up with their differences that pertain more to their usage and convention than their meanings.

Till

Till is a preposition that means up to the time of. In America, many people incorrectly consider it as an abbreviation of until, and there are also people who put an apostrophe before til. Till as a preposition has been there in English language for quite some time. It is not that till is incorrect as is the belief of most Americans. This is the reason why till is more common outside US. The fact of the matter is that, when till is used as a preposition or a conjunction (and not as a verb), there is not much of a difference between it and until.

If one goes by the length of the time that til, till, and until have been around, it seems that til was the first one to have made its entry into English language in Middle English. Till and until appeared later on and there are many who feel that until is more correct and formal than till.

If one goes by its meaning, till means up to the point of time. One can see that the emphasis is upon the time period that elapses or the time that is involved. It also refers to the action that takes place.

Until

Until is only a preposition and a conjunction. It cannot be used as a noun or a verb as is the case with till. Until was a word formed by adding the prefix Un to till, to mean up to. If you are using until, you are alright to use it anywhere in the sentence but, when it comes to choosing between till and until, until is preferred when it is used at the start of the sentence.

Until is also used in a negative connotation, which is not possible with the use of till. Take a look at the following example.

Until I am paid the arrears, I am not going to take up a new assignment.

You can see that, in this example, the individual is actually placing a condition to taking up a new assignment saying that it is dependent upon him being paid his arrears.

However, you can use either till or until in a sentence, and both are acceptable and considered right.

What is the difference between Till and Until?

• Both till and until exist simultaneously and either can be used in a sentence.

• Until is considered more formal than till.

• Some people consider till to be an abbreviation of until.

• Till is an older English word than until.

• Until is more common and used in written text more often than till.

Related posts:

Difference Between Until and UnlessDifference Between Until and Unless Difference Between By and UntilDifference Between By and Until Difference Between Still and Till Difference Between Going To and WillDifference Between Going To and Will Difference Between Has Been and Had BeenDifference Between Has Been and Had Been

Filed Under: Grammar Tagged With: till, Until

About the Author: Admin

Coming from Engineering cum Human Resource Development background, has over 10 years experience in content developmet and management.

Comments

  1. Svetlana says

    May 13, 2017 at 5:19 pm

    I would like to know a native speaker’s opinion. Do the following sentences have the same meaning?
    1. I’ll stay till the baby is awake.
    2. I’ll stay until the baby is awake.
    I feel as if they are completely different.
    1. The baby is awake now. I’ll leave when he goes to bed.
    2. The baby is asleep now. I’ll leave when he wakes up.
    Is it correct?

    Reply
    • Samira says

      July 20, 2018 at 8:37 am

      I’d like to know the correct answer of this task too. So interesting…

      Reply
    • Misbah says

      August 21, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      1. I’ll stay till the baby is awake. incorrect
      2. I’ll stay until the baby is awake. correct
      I feel as if they are completely different.
      1. The baby is awake now. I’ll leave when he goes to bed.
      2. The baby is asleep now. I’ll leave when he wakes up.

      Reply
  2. Greg Grisham Vento says

    May 26, 2019 at 1:53 am

    I tend to disagree with the explanation. Till is for an affirmative situation: ex.: We are open till nine. And until the opposite. ex.: We don’t open until nine. But I may be wrong

    Reply
  3. Misbah says

    August 21, 2020 at 3:45 pm

    Till- I will meet you till 12:00 pm.
    Until- I can not come to meet you until I finish my work.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

What is the Difference Between Narration and Description

What is the Difference Between Narration and Description

Difference Between Mesoderm and Mesenchyme

Difference Between Mesoderm and Mesenchyme

Difference Between Servant Leadership and Transformational Leadership

Difference Between Servant Leadership and Transformational Leadership

Difference Between Mortar and Grout

Difference Between Its and It’s in English Grammar

Difference Between Its and It’s in English Grammar

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between COPD and Lung Cancer
  • What is the Difference Between Silk and Cotton
  • What is the Difference Between Galactosemia and Lactose Intolerance
  • What is the Difference Between Glycosuria and Glucosuria
  • What is the Difference Between Menkes and Wilson’s Disease
  • What is the Difference Between Xerophthalmia and Keratomalacia
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.