till
till — preposition
1. up to a particular point in time, and not continuing beyond that moment; used wh
up to a particular point in time, and not continuing beyond that moment; used when saying when something stops or starts.
Soraya worked at the cafe till six in the evening.
till + noun phrase (time reference)
The summer sale at Erik's clothing store runs from Monday till Friday this week.
from … till … (duration range)
Christopher waited outside the school till the rain stopped.
Élise could not send the parcel till she bought a stamp.
The town library stays open till eight o'clock on weekdays.
文法句型
till + noun phrase (time reference)
till + clause (subject + verb)
用法筆記
Also functions as a conjunction (till + subject + verb) and a preposition (till + noun phrase). 'Till' is slightly less formal than 'until', but both are very common in everyday speech and writing. In formal academic or legal texts, 'until' is preferred.
常見錯誤
till — noun
1. the drawer inside a shop's cash register where money is placed, or the whole cas
the drawer inside a shop's cash register where money is placed, or the whole cash register itself; also a box used in a shop for holding money.
The cashier counted the money in the till before locking up.
in the till
Ziad opened the till and handed the customer her change.
opened the till
Romi left the till unlocked after the store closed.
Devika found a torn banknote in the till at her bakery.
- cash register
refers to the whole machine, not just the drawer; more common in American English
- money drawer
describes the physical drawer itself rather than the whole register
文法句型
the till
at / behind / from the till
open / close / check the till
用法筆記
Common in British English for the cash register or its drawer. In American English, 'cash register' is more common for the whole machine; 'till' is understood but less frequent for that meaning.
常見錯誤
2. a deposit left by a glacier as it melts, containing an unsorted mix of clay, san
a deposit left by a glacier as it melts, containing an unsorted mix of clay, sand, stones, and larger rocks.
The construction crew dug through a thick layer of glacial till.
layer of glacial till
Rachid identified the till in the Yorkshire valley as evidence of an ancient ice sheet.
Farmers in the valley struggled to plant crops in the rocky till.
Doctor Niran studied till deposits in the Swiss Alps to reconstruct ice-age climate shifts.
- glacial drift
broader term that includes till (unsorted) and stratified drift (sorted by water)
- boulder clay
older term for till, still used in some British geology contexts
文法句型
glacial till
layer of till
till + noun (till plain, till deposit)
用法筆記
This is a technical term in geology and earth science. Most English learners will only encounter this meaning in geography textbooks or academic writing about glaciers.
till — verb
1. to turn over and break up the surface of soil using a tool or machine, so that s
to turn over and break up the surface of soil using a tool or machine, so that seeds can be planted and crops can grow.
In early spring, farmers till the fields before planting corn.
till + fields
Nora learned to till the soil using a hand-held plough.
The land behind the barn has been tilled for over a hundred years.
Sana tilled the garden plot and removed the largest stones.
- plow (plough)
specifically means turning soil over with a plow; 'till' is a broader term for all soil preparation
- cultivate
more general term that can include weeding and caring for crops, not just initial soil preparation
- farm
broader still — includes all activities of running a farm, not just soil preparation
文法句型
till + noun (land, soil, field, ground)
be tilled
用法筆記
Often used in historical or rural farming contexts. The noun form 'tillage' refers to the activity itself. 'Plow' (or 'plough' in British English) describes a specific first step of turning soil; 'till' covers the broader process of preparing land.