Late or Lately?
Explore “late” and “lately” in short texts about arrivals, daily routines, and recent changes.
Preview
Questions with solutions-
1. Попълнете празното място.
Class starts at 9:00. We arrive at 9:15. We are ___.
- late
- lately
Compare our arrival time with the class start time.
Show solution
Class starts at 9:00. We arrive at 9:15. We are late.
We can use “late” after “be”: “We are late” or “The bus is late.”
-
2. Изберете верния отговор.
What does “lately” mean here?
Have you seen Mia lately?
- After the planned time
- Recently
- In the future
Show solution
- Recently
“Lately” looks back at recent days or weeks. It does not mean a future time.
-
3. Попълнете празното място.
We had a ___ breakfast at 11:00 a.m.
- lately
- late
The missing word describes the breakfast.
Show solution
We had a late breakfast at 11:00 a.m.
“Late” can go before a noun: a late breakfast, a late lunch, or a late dinner.
-
4. Попълнете празното място.
We stayed up ___ last night and went to bed at 1:00 a.m.
- late
- lately
This sentence describes one night, not recent habits.
Show solution
We stayed up late last night and went to bed at 1:00 a.m.
“Stay up late” means not going to bed until a late hour.
-
5. Попълнете празното място.
Our neighbors have been away for two weeks. I haven't seen them ___.
- late
- lately
Think about the period when the neighbors have been away.
Show solution
Our neighbors have been away for two weeks. I haven't seen them lately.
“Lately” often goes with “haven't” to describe something that has not happened in recent days.
-
6. Изберете верния отговор.
What does the speaker want the others to do?
I'll be late for dinner. Please start without me.
- Wait until the speaker arrives.
- Move dinner to another day.
- Begin eating before the speaker arrives.
Notice “without me.”
Show solution
- Begin eating before the speaker arrives.
We use “late for” with an event: late for dinner, work, or a meeting.
-
7. Попълнете празното място.
We reached the café after it closed. We were too ___ to get coffee.
- lately
- late
Getting coffee was no longer possible.
Show solution
We reached the café after it closed. We were too late to get coffee.
“Too late to” means that the time for doing something has passed.
-
8. Изберете верния отговор.
What does the speaker want to know?
What have you been reading lately?
- What you have read in recent days or weeks
- What you read only late at night
- What you plan to read next year
Show solution
- What you have read in recent days or weeks
This is a friendly way to ask about someone's recent activities.
-
9. Попълнете празното място.
The party didn't end until ___ at night.
- late
- lately
The sentence tells us how long the party continued.
Show solution
The party didn't end until late at night.
“Until late” shows that an activity continues to a late hour.
-
10. Изберете верния отговор.
What has changed recently?
Lately, I walk to school instead of taking the bus.
- The time school starts
- The speaker's way of getting to school
- The time the bus arrives
Compare walking with taking the bus.
Show solution
- The speaker's way of getting to school
“Lately” can come at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a recent change.
-
11. Попълнете празното място.
Yesterday, we visited the museum ___ in the afternoon, just before it closed.
- lately
- late
This describes a time within one afternoon.
Show solution
Yesterday, we visited the museum late in the afternoon, just before it closed.
“Late in the afternoon” means near the end of the afternoon. It does not always mean after the planned time.
-
12. Изберете верния отговор.
What is true about Ava's calls?
Ben: “You used to call every day.”
Ava: “I haven't called much lately.”- She calls only late at night.
- She has never called Ben.
- She calls less often now.
Compare “every day” with “haven't called much.”
Show solution
- She calls less often now.
“Not much lately” describes a low amount or frequency recently, not a late hour.
-
13. Попълнете празното място.
Yesterday: home at 8:00 p.m. Today: home at 9:00 p.m.
I got home late yesterday, but today I got home even ___.
- late
- lately
- later
The sentence compares two arrival times.
Show solution
I got home late yesterday, but today I got home even later.
“Later” compares times. “Lately” means “recently” and does not compare two times.
-
14. Изберете верния отговор.
What does the speaker mean?
My classes start at 9:00. I haven't been late lately.
- My recent arrivals have been on time or early.
- I have been arriving after 9:00 recently.
- I have not attended any classes recently.
The two similar words have different jobs.
Show solution
- My recent arrivals have been on time or early.
Both words can appear together: “late” describes the arrivals, and “lately” describes the recent period.
-
15. Изберете верния отговор.
How have these recent arrivals been?
My shift starts at 5:00 a.m. Lately, I've arrived at 5:10 a.m.
- On time, because it is early in the morning.
- Late, even though it is early in the morning.
- Early, because the shift starts in the morning.
Compare the arrival time with the shift's start time.
Show solution
- Late, even though it is early in the morning.
You can be late very early in the morning. Being late depends on the expected time, not just the hour.