Basics. Time Prepositions: Before, After, During, and While: correct answers
Jump to answers ↓Time Prepositions: Before, After, During, and While
Time prepositions and conjunctions tell us when things happen, but they follow specific grammar rules. For example, we use during with a noun phrase ("I slept during the movie") but while with a subject and verb ("I slept while I was watching the movie"). Similarly, before and after help us sequence events correctly in a sentence.
In this challenge, you will help sleepy students, clumsy chefs, and even an alien spy report on strange human behavior! You'll practice choosing between during and while for simultaneous actions, and using before and after to properly order daily routines and embarrassing disasters.
You will work through 10 questions featuring a fun mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop formats.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Correct answers
Question 1
Complete the wilderness survival guide's most crucial rule.
Always remember to lock the cabin door _____ you go to bed, or the raccoons will steal your snacks!
The correct answer is before.
"Before" is used to show that an action must happen earlier than another event. Locking the door after you go to bed means the raccoons will already be eating your snacks!
Question 2
The correct answers are before dinner and after I play with the dog.
Before and after can be followed by a noun (like "dinner") or a subject and verb (like "I play").
During must be followed by a noun, not a subject and verb ("during I eat" is incorrect).
While must be followed by a subject and verb or a gerund, not just a noun ("while the meal" is incorrect).
Question 3
before
We use before to talk about something that happens earlier than another event. (Buying snacks happens first, so you don't miss the movie!)
during
We use during before a noun phrase (like "the main action scene") to say that something happened inside that period of time.
while
We use while before a subject and a verb (a clause, like "I was dreaming") to show that two things were happening at the exact same time.
Question 4
Complete the clumsy chef's incident report by dragging the correct time words into the empty spaces.
I made sure to wash my hands thoroughly before I started chopping the onions, just like the health inspector asked. However, I started crying uncontrollably while I was cutting them. Because I couldn't see clearly through my tears, I had to wear a large bandage after I accidentally sliced my finger!
I made sure to wash my hands thoroughly before I started chopping the onions...
Good hygiene means washing hands first, so before is the correct logical sequence.
However, I started crying uncontrollably while I was cutting them.
The crying and the cutting happened at the same time. Since "I was cutting them" is a full clause (subject + verb), we must use while instead of "during".
Because I couldn't see clearly through my tears, I had to wear a large bandage after I accidentally sliced my finger!
The chef needs a bandage as a result of the accident, so putting it on must happen after slicing the finger.
Question 5
during
We use during followed by a noun or noun phrase (like "our baking class") to mean "throughout the course of" that event. You cannot use "while" here because there is no subject and verb.
while
We use while followed by a full clause (subject + verb, like "the firefighters checked") to talk about two actions happening at the same time.
after
We use after to show that an action happens later than another event. They ate the cookies once the firefighters were gone!
Question 6
The correct answers are Humans look at their phones during dinner. and Humans look at their phones while they walk.
During is followed by a noun event (like "dinner").
While is followed by a clause with a subject and a verb (like "they walk"). Earthlings use these words differently, and now you know how!
Question 7
Help the embarrassed teenager complete his text message about a disastrous date by dragging the correct time words into the blanks.
We got to the theater early, so we bought our popcorn before the movie started. Everything was fine at first, but I accidentally fell asleep during the main feature! I only woke up while my date was angrily shaking my arm to tell me it was over. Next time, I am drinking three cups of coffee!
We got to the theater early, so we bought our popcorn before the movie started.
Because they arrived early, buying popcorn happened prior to the movie starting, making before the only logical choice.
Everything was fine at first, but I accidentally fell asleep during the main feature!
We use during before a noun phrase ("the main feature") to show that something happened within a period of time. We cannot use "while" here because there is no subject and verb immediately following it.
I only woke up while my date was angrily shaking my arm to tell me it was over.
We use while before a clause (subject + verb: "my date was angrily shaking") to show that two actions were happening at the exact same time.
Question 8
Complete the amateur chef's embarrassing confession.
The smoke alarm started blaring _____ I was trying to microwave a whole watermelon.
The correct answer is while.
We use "while" to talk about two things happening at the same time, and it is followed by a subject and a verb (usually in a continuous tense, like "I was trying"). "During" is incorrect here because it must be followed by a noun, not a full clause.
Question 9
The correct answers are Leo fell asleep during the movie. and Leo fell asleep while he was watching the movie.
Use during before a noun (like "the movie") to say when something happens.
Use while before a subject and a verb (like "he was watching") to show two things happening at the same time.
Question 10
Help the tired student finish her text message.
I accidentally fell asleep _____ the three-hour documentary about competitive snail racing.
The correct answer is during.
We use "during" before a noun phrase (like "the three-hour documentary") to say when something happens. We use "while" or "when" before a subject and a verb (a clause).