During or in the course of?

Question

Hi,I am confused about the use of "during" and "in the course of".."The design will be ready in the course of the day""The design will be ready during today"Are these sentences OK?Thank you in  advance for your repliesPamela

MalRey · Accepted Answer

Pamela81"The design will be ready in the course of the day""The design will be ready during today"Are these sentences OK?

They will be understood but I find them a bit unnatural. Something like this is probably better:

"The design will be ready by the end of the day."
or
"The design will be ready before close of business today."
or
"The design will be ready first thing in the morning."

Pamela81 · Answer

MalRey Pamela81"The design will be ready in the course of the day""The design will be ready during today"Are these sentences OK?They will be understood but I find them a bit unnatural. Something like this is probably better:"The design will be ready by the end of the day."or"The design will be ready before close of business today."or"The design will be ready first thing in the morning."

Hi,

thank you.

I find the first option "by the end of" very natural, thanks!

Would it sound more natural if I said:

"The design will be ready in the course of next week" or "The design will be ready during next week"?

Maybe "next week" or "today" does not make difference.. ?

In this case, when do you use these kind of expressions?

Thanks

PAMELA

MalRey · Answer

Pamela81Would it sound more natural if I said: "The design will be ready in the course of next week"

Not really. I'd leave out "in the course of" and "during." Just say "The design will be ready next week" and if any further clarification is needed you can go from there.

It's not easy to say for sure when "in the course of" should be used. It's kind of a situation where when it's needed it just shows up. I will say that it doesn't seem to be used much for definite time periods like days, weeks, etc. It seems more natural in describing indefinite time periods such as: "in the course of a lifetime", "in the course of a career", etc. Then there is one of the most famous uses in U.S. history in the first line of the Declaration of Independence: "When in the Course of human events..."

Pamela81 · Answer

Thank you so much, you were of help.

Once again what is so natural in Italian language is not the same in English :-((

In italian I could say "nel corso di" (in the course of) and "durante" (during) in the sentences mentione above, that is why I thought that I could do the same in English..

Thank you!!

Pamela

During or in the course of?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions