[Grammar] I have meeting in/within

[Checkmate]

"I have meeting in a week."

"I have meeting within a week."

I'm sure there is a difference in meaning and the tenses but I couldn't think any. Could you explain this?

 

[Rover_KE]

You need 'a' before 'meeting' in both cases.

#1 means the meeting is in exactly one week.

#2 means the meeting will take place sometime in the next seven days.

 

[Checkmate]

"I have a meeting in a week." Today is Monday. I have this meeting until Sunday.
"I have a meeting within a week." Today is Monday. I will attend to a meeting in the next Monday.

Is this right?

 

[tedmc]

in a week - in a week's time i.e. next Monday.
within a week - the meeting will be held on any day until next Monday.

It is 'attend a meeting', not 'attend to a meeting'.

not a teacher

 

[Checkmate]

Thanks for the explanation.

Could I ask another with the same prepositions?

"I live in a log cabin."

"I live within a log cabin."

I'm not sure whether these two prepositions are used interchangeably. Are they different?

 

[tedmc]

You usually say you live in a house, an apartment, a log cabin, a shelter, etc.
I cannot think of a context where you say you 'live within a building'.

not a teacher

 

[MikeNewYork]

Ted, we do not say "live in a houses".

 

[tedmc]

Typo again, sorry.

 

[Checkmate]

When should I use 'within' instead of 'in' to tell someone's location?

 

[Rover_KE]

'He lives within two miles of the city centre.'

 

[SoothingDave]

"I have a meeting in a week." Today is Monday. I have this meeting until Sunday.
"I have a meeting within a week." Today is Monday. I will attend to a meeting in the next Monday.

Is this right?

No. You have the meaning backwards.

And you have used "until" incorrectly.

I have this meeting until Sunday.

This is a common use by non-native speakers. I see it all the time and it is incorrect. "Until" is used for a continuing action. I will stand here until the bus comes. The beatings will continue until morale improves.

What you said is that the meeting is going on and will end on Sunday.

What you meant was that the meeting will take place sometime "before" Sunday, or "by" Sunday.

I get emails all the time from non-natives in my work requesting a response "until 23 December." They mean "by 23 December."

 

[Checkmate]

No. You have the meaning backwards.

And you have used "until" incorrectly.



This is a common use by non-native speakers. I see it all the time and it is incorrect. "Until" is used for a continuing action. I will stand here until the bus comes. The beatings will continue until morale improves.

What you said is that the meeting is going on and will end on Sunday.

What you meant was that the meeting will take place sometime "before" Sunday, or "by" Sunday.

I get emails all the time from non-natives in my work requesting a response "until 23 December." They mean "by 23 December."

So, "I have a meeting within a week" means I shall attend a meeting sometime before a week and it wouldn't make any sense if I attended a meeting for a week.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I attended a meeting for a week.

Can it mean 'I attended a meeting lasting for a week'?

Not a teacher.

 

[SoothingDave]

Can it mean 'I attended a meeting lasting for a week'?

Not a teacher.

Yes. Hopefully with a lot of breaks.

 

[emsr2d2]

"I have a meeting in a week." Today is Monday. I have this meeting until Sunday.
No. You do not have a meeting "until Sunday". That would mean that you are going to sit in the same meeting from today (Monday) until Sunday. No meeting lasts 6 days.

"I have a meeting within a week." Today is Monday. I will attend to a meeting in the next Monday.
No. You don't "attend to" a meeting, and you don't attend a meeting "in the next Monday".

Is this right?

See my notes above in red.

I have a meeting in a week = Today is Monday. The meeting is next Monday.
I have a meeting within a week = Today is Monday. The meeting will be today, tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday or next Monday.