Pattern: by-now

Structure Overview

Formula: by now
Core Meaning: A prepositional phrase used to express that an action is expected to be complete or a state should be true before or up to the present moment. It is frequently used with "should" or "must" for deductions.

💬 Contextual Examples

*If they left at noon, they should have arrived by now.
*You ought to know how to use this software by now.

🎴 Interactive Web Practice (Click to Reveal)

Practice 1: The pizza was ordered forty minutes ago; it should be here ______ now.

Answer: by

Practice 2: I sent that email yesterday, so she must have read it by ______.

Answer: now

🔗 Knowledge Base Connections

🔑 Parent Keyword: now