Lesson 7 of 41 in the Test Ninjas TOEFL course: Read in Daily Life, Reading. Notices, emails and posts in Read in Daily Life often state a rule and then narrow it: unless you do something, only for some people, except on Sundays, no later than two days before.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Lesson at a glance
Detail
This lesson
Module
Read in Daily Life (Reading)
English focus
Condition and exception connectors (unless, provided that, as long as, only if, except) and time limits (by, no later than, within, prior to, at least … ahead)
Task skill
Following a condition to its result and working out a relative date or time
Time
About 55 minutes
Access
Included in the TOEFL plan
What this lesson teaches
Notices, emails and posts in Read in Daily Life often state a rule and then narrow it: unless you do something, only for some people, except on Sundays, no later than two days before. The narrowing words are short, and they decide the answer.
In this lesson you’ll read condition and exception connectors exactly, work out deadlines, windows and relative dates without slips, and then put a person’s situation through every rule, one step at a time, before you choose.
By the end of the lesson, you can
Read condition and exception connectors exactly: unless = if … not; provided (that), as long as and only if = only on this condition; even if = the result doesn’t change; except (for), apart from and other than = this is left out. Notice the words that limit who a rule is for (only, those who, all … except).
Read time limits correctly (by, no later than, until, within, prior to, at least … ahead, up to … ahead, from / as of), and work out relative days and clock times without slips.
Answer contingency, relative-date and NOT questions by listing the person’s situation, applying every rule and exception in order, and choosing the option that matches the final result, not a single rule.
What’s inside
Around the 3 teaching cycles below, the lesson opens with a quick check and closes with applied practice, a Check and a debrief. How every course lesson is built.
Teaching cycles in lesson 7
Cycle
Focus
What it teaches
Drills
Cycle 1
English
Conditions and exceptions
7
Cycle 2
English
Time limits and relative dates
7
Cycle 3
Task skill
Working a situation through the rules
8
Word bank
The 10 words and phrases this lesson teaches. They come from the real course questions you practice on in the Apply step, so you meet each one again in context.
standby list noun phrase
a list of people waiting for a place if one becomes free
The pottery course was full, so the office put me on the standby list.
Goes with:
be on the standby list; put someone on the standby list
Word family:
standby (noun): on standby; standby (adjective): a standby ticket
next in line phrase
the next person to get something
Priya is next in line for a single room in the residence hall.
Goes with:
be next in line (for something)
Word family:
line (noun): wait in line; in line for (phrase): likely to get something
thin out phrasal verb
to become fewer in number
The line at the café thins out once the 9 o’clock classes start.
Goes with:
the crowd thinned out; traffic thins out
Word family:
thin (adjective): a thin crowd; thinned out (past form)
have a way of phrase (+ ‑ing)
to usually or often end up doing something
Small repairs have a way of turning into big ones if you ignore them.
Goes with:
things have a way of working out; deadlines have a way of sneaking up
Word family:
way (noun)
depart verb
to leave
The museum trip departs from the library steps at 8:15.
Goes with:
depart from [a place]; depart at [a time]
Word family:
departure (noun); departures board (noun)
remain valid collocation (verb + adjective)
to still be acceptable and able to be used
Your guest pass remains valid until the end of the month.