in a typical weekend

[Verona_82]

Hello,

I read in a coursebook today:
"Which activities from exercise 4 do you do in a typical weekend?"

Why is 'in' used here? I must be missing something.

Thank you.

 

[riquecohen]

Good question. It seems to me that the textbook writer is the one who's missing something. You and I would certainly use on.

 

[White Hat]

I've seen:

in the weekend
at the weekend
on the weekend

This is taken from a website run by guys from Britain:

What can you do in a weekend? At home you might read the paper or do the laundry. But in London the opportunities for enjoyment stretch into infinity. You can take a roller coaster ride through this capital’s history, heritage and culture. You can explore its’ world-famous buildings and sights. And you can take home some of its’ unquenchable energy and thirst for life when you depart. But if you want to go at your own pace, that’s fine too. A weekend is definitely long enough to soak up the atmosphere on the streets of this incredible, flourishing city. Interested? Then sign up for your stay in a top hotel in the capital of England and the centre of the cultural world.

 

[Verona_82]

Bennevis, I guess the person who wrote that passage meant 'within'. I might be mistaken though, but it doesn't strike me as incorrect. However, the sentence from my coursebook sounds strange to me - I'm not sure the writer meant 'within' here (perhaps of 'typical' preceding the word) :roll:

 

[bhaisahab]

Bennevis, I guess the person who wrote that passage meant 'within'. I might be mistaken though, but it doesn't strike me as incorrect. However, the sentence from my coursebook sounds strange to me - I'm not sure the writer meant 'within' here (perhaps of 'typical' preceding the word) :roll:

Your course book sentence is fine IMO.

 

[Verona_82]

Your course book sentence is fine IMO.

Could you explain why, please?

 

[riquecohen]

I've seen:

in the weekend
at the weekend
on the weekend

This is taken from a website run by guys from Britain:

What can you do in a weekend? At home you might read the paper or do the laundry. But in London the opportunities for enjoyment stretch into infinity. You can take a roller coaster ride through this capital’s history, heritage and culture. You can explore its’ world-famous buildings and sights. And you can take home some of its’ unquenchable energy and thirst for life when you depart. But if you want to go at your own pace, that’s fine too. A weekend is definitely long enough to soak up the atmosphere on the streets of this incredible, flourishing city. Interested? Then sign up for your stay in a top hotel in the capital of England and the centre of the cultural world.

I agree with in a weekend in the context of this ad, but as Verona pointed out, it seems to mean within. I didn't mention in my original response that I was answering from an AmE viewpoint. Perhaps a BrE-speaker will provide a different answer.

Addendum. I hadn't seen bhaisahab's response before posting this; it seems now that this is surely an AmE/BrE difference.

 

[bhaisahab]

Could you explain why, please?

We can do things in a week-end in the same way that we can do things in an hour, a day, a week, etcetera.

 

[Verona_82]

I still don't get it, sorry.
Bhaisahab, do you mean in = within in the example from the book?

The unit focuses on habits /routines/likes/dislikes and is meant to remind students how to use the present simple. Some of the things mentioned in ex 4 are: go clubbing/go to the theatre/go on a guided tour etc.
Is "I go clubbing in a typical weekend' an idiomatic sentence?

 

[bhaisahab]

I still don't get it, sorry.
Bhaisahab, do you mean in = within in the example from the book?

The unit focuses on habits /routines/likes/dislikes and is meant to remind students how to use the present simple. Some of the things mentioned in ex 4 are: go clubbing/go to the theatre/go on a guided tour etc.
Is "I go clubbing in a typical weekend' an idiomatic sentence?

No, it's not, but in that sentence "at" and "on" don't work for me either. I think the problem is with the use of "typical", which I don't find very natural.