A
Alsome
Senior Member
Italian
- May 31, 2014
- #1
The right preposition to put before the word "period" is in or on? Ex: in this period or on this period of the year?
Thank you.
Greyfriar
Senior Member
Isle of Wight, Southern England
British English
- May 31, 2014
- #2
Hello.
Generally I would say 'in this period of the year.'
srta chicken
Senior Member
California
US English
- May 31, 2014
- #3
We use "in this period" over here in the US too.
C
Cagey
post mod (English Only / Latin)
California
English - US
- Jun 1, 2014
- #4
Please give us a complete sentence. We require a complete sentence with every question. It helps us be sure that we are giving you the right answer. In American English, "during this period of the year" is also possible.
(I can't think of a context in which I would say 'on this period of the year', but perhaps I missed one.
Added: Now that I have checked, I see that there are indeed contexts in which 'on' would be the correct choice.
A
Alsome
Senior Member
Italian
- Jun 1, 2014
- #5
First of all thank you for replying. The context may be this: "I couldn't write till now because I have been very busy in this period in gathering flowers"
sound shift
Senior Member
Derby (central England)
English - England
- Jun 1, 2014
- #6
"Period" doesn't go well with the rest of the sentence at post 5, to my ears - so the question of the preposition becomes academic.
Florentia52
Modwoman in the attic
Wisconsin
English - United States
- Jun 1, 2014
- #7
As others have indicated, we don't use "in this period" that way in English. If you're speaking of something seasonal, you could say "At this time of year, I am very busy gathering flowers."
A
Alsome
Senior Member
Italian
- Jun 1, 2014
- #8
Thanks to Florentia and sound shift. Can I say " I haven't replied soon since I've been very busy in this period"?
Florentia52
Modwoman in the attic
Wisconsin
English - United States
- Jun 1, 2014
- #9
Alsome said:
Thanks to Florentia and sound shift. Can I say " I haven't replied soon since I've been very busy in this period"?
To my ears, no. I see that Greyfriar and srta chicken both find it an acceptable phrase, but it sounds very odd to me.
We can say "During this period of her life, Georgia O'Keeffe was heavily influenced by the New Mexico landscape," or "During the period while Henry VIII was seeking a divorce from Catherine of Aragon…" But it sounds odd to use it in less historic, more personal contexts.
"I've been very busy lately" or "I've been very busy in the past few weeks" is how I would say it. (You might also want to review your use of "soon" in that sentence.)
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C
Cagey
post mod (English Only / Latin)
California
English - US
- Jun 1, 2014
- #10
Alsome said:
Thanks to Florentia and sound shift. Can I say " I haven't replied soon since I've been very busy in this period"?
I am one of the people who wouldn't use 'period' by itself in this context. I would only use it with some sort of description:
I've been very busy in/during this period of my life.
Or, more likely:
I've been going through a very busy period [of my life].
It may be more helpful for you to look over examples of the use of 'period' in the published news articles. That may give you a better idea of how the word is used. Click ---> in context.
(Here are instructions on how to find 'in context' sentences yourself: Finding Examples in Context.)
A
Alsome
Senior Member
Italian
- Jun 2, 2014
- #11
So I understand that the word "period" must be followed by "of the year/my/his ..... life" or " (of ....... something). Thank you.
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