time expression

[Heidi]

Dear teachers,

Could you please tell me if the following sentences are all correct? What do 'this past week', 'last week', 'in the last week' and 'in the past week' refer to, respectively? Thank you!

- Has there been much rain in Taipei this past week?
- Was there much rain in Taipei last week?
- Has there been much rain in Taipei in the past week?
- Has there been much rain in Taipei in the last week?

[5jj]

1. - Has there been much rain in Taipei this past week?
2. - Was there much rain in Taipei last week?
3. - Has there been much rain in Taipei in the past week?
4. - Has there been much rain in Taipei in the last week?

All are acceptable.

In #2, 'last week' means 'the week preceding the present one', i.e., between one and seven days ago.

The time expressions in the other three all refer to the seven days immediately before today, i.e., today would be day eight.