http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aExpressions+tag%3aBefore+and+After+tag%3aInvitationsSearch results for 'tag:Expressions tag:Before and After tag:Invitations' matching tags 'Expressions', 'Before and After', and 'Invitations'en-USCSMOD (Build: 3273.32735)http://www.englishforums.com/English/ToeicQuestion/ddpvp/post.htm#269720Wed, 20 Sep 2006 07:34:13 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:269720califjimThe idiom is to have amount of time to do something It means that the action described by the final infinitive must be done within the amount of time allotted The students had one hour to complete the exam We have three months to install the kitchen cabinets Martha and Sam have only three days to prepare for the party Focus on just the amount of time The amount of time can be expressed in several additional ways with the help of prepositions like since until from and to These prepositions are used to show the temporal boundaries of amounts of time so the amount of time is shown indirectly by mentioning the beginning and or ending of the time period If only one of the two boundaries is mentioned the other boundary normally defaults to now The students have had since last Thursday to finish the homework The amount of time is from last Thursday until now We have until March 17 to make a decision The amount of time is from now until March 17 Martha and Sam have from Wednesday to the end of the week to buy the ingredients The amount of time is from Wednesday to the end of the week The words before and after are used differently They specify when in time usually with respect to a point in time as marked by some event In this way they are similar to expressions like at 6 o clock They don t specify how much time either directly as in one hour or indirectly through time boundaries as in until tomorrow after the concert says when with respect to the time of the concert not how much time before sunset says when with respect to the time of sunset not how much time Consider what is wrong here We have at 6 o clock to finish the job at 6 o clock is not an amount of time We have after Tuesday to decide on a plan after Tuesday is not an amount of time It is possible although less usual to combine the two sets of prepositions The men have had since before the end of last week to pave the road Sam and Yolanda have until after the 15th to send the invitations We will probably have until just before 7 15 to get to the box office and pick up the tickets Jack has from slightly after 8 until five minutes before 9 to clean the bedrooms I hope this helps CJ