Choose the appropriate preposition for the following sentence:
My sister was married _______ the time I turned sixteen.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → by
Complete sentence: My sister was married by the time I turned sixteen. The sister's marriage had already taken place before the writer turned sixteen.
| Option | Used to show | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) by (answer) | By the time means not later than the moment when something happens. | The film had started by the time we reached the hall. |
| (2) in | “In” is used with months, years and longer periods (in May, in 2010). “In the time I turned sixteen” is not used. | She was born in 2005. |
| (3) on | “On” is used with days and dates (on Monday, on 5 June), not with “the time”. | The shop is closed on Sundays. |
| (4) at | “At the time” means at that very moment. The sentence needs the sense of “before or not later than”. | I was asleep at the time of the phone call. |