by the time 用法?

If something happens "by" a particular time, it happens "at" or "before" that time.

"By" eight o'clock he had arrived at my hotel.這裡給的八點鐘是終點，不是事件的發生點，所以受其修飾的述部用了「過去完成式」動詞。arrive是action verb，句中有過去明確的「發生」時間點時，用「過去簡單式」，沒有發生時間點，只有終點，而在當時已經有結果時，用「過去完成式」（表示事件發生在更早的時間點）。by = before

By the time I came on the scene, it was all over.
用兩個「過去簡單式」表示action verb (came)與state verb (was)是「同時」。正確。by = at

It was already out of date by the time it was published.
用兩個「過去式」，表示同時（兩個state verb）。正確。by = at

We all knew "by" then that the affair was practically over.
knew是state verb，通常用「過去簡單式」即可表示這是當時的狀況（by then = 當時）。如用「過去完成式」，通常是用來與另一「過去簡單式」形成時差：一早一晚。本句無時差，故只用簡單式。by = at

「現在簡單式」是timeless present，通常是用來述說習慣或不因時而異的真理等。所以By the time 是用來說歷史事件或未來的預告。寫成By the time I arrive at the school, she will wake up.（表示未來時間座標的副詞子句，通常用現在簡單式或現在完成式，不用未來式）或寫成By the time I arrived at the school, she had woke up.才合理。我們造句不但要看語法，還要看句意是否合邏輯。by = at

By the time we arrived, the other guests "were" already there.
arrive是action verb，所以by the time裡的by = at。給的是一個時間點。而were是state verb，用「過去簡單式」表示這是「過去當時」的狀況。by = at

By the time they traveled to Shea Stadium on September 9th....
是錯誤的寫法，因為action verb的travel是一個過程，需一段時間，不能做為it was down to just one-and-a-half games這狀況的「時間點」。by = at

By the time I turned 18, I moved into a little chalet of my own and felt very grown-up.錯誤。
by the time I turned 18所給的是「過去的一個時間點」，而action verb的move發生在這個時間點之前，該用「過去完成式」had already moved，有時差，才合理。by = at

By the time I go to school, she wakes up.錯誤。因為action verb的現在簡單式是用在timeless present的狀況，即所述的行為是習慣或不變的真理等。但她醒來跟我上學是兩個有發生時間點的action。可寫成：By the time I go to school, she will wake up.（預告未來）或By the time I went to school, she would wake up.（過去的預告），或By the time I went to school, she had already woken up.（過去的事件）。

不行．因為By the time適用在＂反摺語氣＂的時候，所以應該要接＂完成＂語氣才對．
例子：
（等）到你上學的時候，他（應該）已經起床了．
By the time you go to school, he (should) have woken up.

By the time you arrive, I might have left.
By the time the doctor came, she had died.

要是只要指出一個時間點的話，就用：

Ａｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｉｍｅ．．．

ｅｘａｍｐｌｅ：

At the time I leave for school, she wakes up.=一般來說,每天我上學之時,她剛好起床.
是偷窺鄰居的正妹嗎?

about time,informal,is used for suggesting that sonething should be done now or should have been done earlier.
It's about time you had your friend wake up !and you go to school.