between

[savs]

Should it be "between the 13th and the 14th century" or "between the 13th and 14th centuries"?
Thanks in advance

[Rover_KE]

Hi, Savs, and welcome to the board.

Should it be "between the 13th and the 14th century" or "between the 13th and 14th centuries"?
Thanks in advance

Neither.

There was never any time between the 13th and 14th centuries. As one ended the next began.

You could say 'During the 13th and 14th centuries....'

Or 'Between the 11th and 15th centuries....'

In either case, use centuries.

Rover

[birdeen's call]

Hi, Savs, and welcome to the board.



Neither.

There was never any time between the 13th and 14th centuries. As one ended the next began.

You could say 'During the 13th and 14th centuries....'

Or 'Between the 11th and 15th centuries....'

In either case, use centuries.

Rover

Would the turn of the 13th century be OK? I guess that is what the original poster had in mind.

[Barb_D]

I never know if the turn of the century means the end or the beginning. Does the turn of the 13th mean 1299-1301 or so, or 1399-1401 or so?

[birdeen's call]

I also have problems with it, but I checked before posting. It's the latter, if I checked correctly.

[emsr2d2]

I never know if the turn of the century means the end or the beginning. Does the turn of the 13th mean 1299-1301 or so, or 1399-1401 or so?

To me, the "turn of the century" would mean around the end of the year 1299 and the beginning of the year 1300.

[bertietheblue]

'at the turn of a [specific] century' usually means at the beginning of that century, so 'at the turn of the 13th century' means 1200 or slightly later. But, it seems, there is no common agreement about usage and some may interpret it to mean at the end of the 13th century:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_of_the_century

[birdeen's call]

'at the turn of a [specific] century' usually means at the beginning of that century, so 'at the turn of the 13th century' means 1200 or slightly later. But, it seems, there is no common agreement about usage and some may interpret it to mean at the end of the 13th century:

Turn of the century - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you! I had no idea. Before I posted I'd just looked it up in only one place, where it said "the turn of the twentieth century" to refer to the latest period. So, if it's so amiguous, what would you say make it clear? I can't find proper words...

[Rover_KE]

... what would say to make it clear?

Here are two ways to avoid any ambiguity:

'At the beginning of the twentieth century. . . .'

'In the early years of the eighteenth century. . . .'

Rover

[birdeen's call]

Here are two ways to avoid any ambiguity:

'At the beginning of the twentieth century. . . .'

'In the early years of the eighteenth century. . . .'

Rover

Alright, but what if I'm talking about a war that spanned the period between 1593 and 1612? It's not the early years of any century...