Representing when, where, how and why
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Representing when | page 5 of 11 |
Using prepositional phrases: in
While on is used for dates and days, in is used for other periods of time, including parts of the day, months, seasons and years:
It was all I could do in the afternoon and in the evening. (Bank of English)
It starts in October and finishes in June. (Bank of English)
If you have the chance you should experience Fjord Norway in the spring or in the autumn. (Bank of English)
The school opened in 1978 and will next term have just under a thousand pupils. (Bank of English)
In means "within" in examples like the following:
Firemen put out the fire in 15 minutes. (SCMP 17/10/92)
It was the second accident at the spot in two hours. (SCMP 5/4/94)
Within is generally reserved for more formal contexts:
If you write to us we will respond to you within five working days.
(Bank of English)
Note that when time expressions like in 20 minutes refer to the future, the
meaning can be either "within" or "after". The meaning which is
intended is invariably made clear by the context 
:
If you call me back in 20 minutes, I'll try and ask some people.
(Bank of English)
You can always check that in is being used with its "after" meaning by adding the word time:
If you call me back in 20 minutes' time, I'll try and ask some people.
If time cannot meaningfully be added to the time expression, then the meaning must be "within":
If a person reads this passage in three minutes, then we say that his reading speed is two hundred words a minute. (Bank of English)
Introduction
Using prepositional phrases: in
