Period/Period of time

Question

Is it correct to write "Period of time"? By definition, period is an interval of time, portion of time, something with it a beginning and end, which are based on time. Wouldn't be redundant to say "period of time"?
English is not my first language. Is there an official organization that decides which phrases are grammatically correct and which ones are not? Something more in depth than a dictionary.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

'Period of time' is a perfectly acceptable stock phrase. As with much of language, it is somewhat redundant in many contexts, and where the meaning is clear without 'of time', you are free to use 'period' alone.

To answer your second question: unlike French, English has no official guardian body. 'Period of time' does not fit neatly into a listed set of redundancies anywhere that I know of, but most grammar books consider redundancy at some point in their text.

Maj · Answer

What would be the difference betweeb period of time and length of time?

Mister Micawber · Answer

Again, probably none in most sentences, maj.  A 'period' is of course a discrete unit, while 'length' is continuous, so there may be instances where one rather than the other is more appropriate.

Kumambachi · Answer

Some people say "in three weeks". Others will say "in three weeks TIME". This goes for days, years, months, etc.

Sometimes the latter feels redundant to me but it seems common.

Guest · Answer

Though it can seem redundant, perhaps the phrase "period of time" came into use because "period" alone can mean different things. For example, it can mean menstruation, or it can mean completion, and also the punctuation mark called full stop (.).

Anonymous · Answer

Period as in menstruarion is a given name to an event that occurs every certain 'period' or interval of 28 days. Meaning: time that passes until a certain something occurs. Thus, the name 'period'.
the punctuation mark also is used as a reference to time. it denotes a time that you have to wait to continue, in orded to make sense of what you're writing or saying.
To conclude: period is uniquely used to denote time.

Fivejedjon · Answer

Anonymousthe punctuation mark also is used as a reference to time. it denotes a time that you have to wait to continue, in orded to make sense of what you're writing or saying.

I don't think the word for the punctuation mark has anything to do with time. It simply marks the end of a complete thought. There is no 'waiting' involved.

Anonymous · Answer

fivejedjonI don't think the word for the punctuation mark has anything to do with time. It simply marks the end of a complete thought. There is no 'waiting' involved.

Spoken sentences normally include a pause where the period goes in writing, just as there are shorter pauses or hesitations or changes in tone or pitch where commas are used. Without that the spoken word runs on and becomes less intelligible. If in doubt, just try reading a properly punctuated piece out loud to an audience. An actor might skip the brief pauses to produce the effect of someone who is a "motor mouth" or mentally a bit askew, but not for normal reading. The period mark does, indeed, signal a thought concluding pause to someone reading out loud in a normal fashion.

It is probably good to remember the spoken word came first, and writing is just a way of encoding it so a reader may replicate not only what, but how something was said originally, and do so without resorting to the memorization of tone and rhythm required in oral traditions. Punctuation enables a more concise reproduction of the spoken word by doing what William Strunk said it does, and that is steer the reader to read the words as intended. Without the structure imposed by punctuation, much would need to be inferred about the way of saying of a written thing, particularly as to the placement of pauses, and often the result would be wrong.

Given:
Mouse put a paper on the shelf above the fireplace where it was warm he would read it later

Would you read it as:
Mouse put a paper on the shelf above the fireplace where it was warm. He would read it later.

or as:
Mouse put a paper on the shelf. Above the fireplace, where it was warm, he would read it later.

Without the pauses imposed by the commas and periods, how would you know if the shelf was above the fireplace or perhaps somewhere else, or if reading above the fireplace was just a comfortable location? How would you know which meaning was intended, and could you even read it smoothly and without having to back up and say it over to get the verbal structure right?

Period/Period of time

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