Which one is correct?
A) In the beginning of the week
B) In the start of the week
Or it's just a matter of style?
asked Apr 14, 2017 at 21:24
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2Would somebody like to explain why they think that this question is off-topic? What additional information is required? What research could have been done that has not been done?– JavaLatteApr 15, 2017 at 19:30
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1 Answer
Mostly, it is a matter of style, but the answer depends somewhat on the context. Usually, one would use "at" instead of "in." "In the beginning of the week" is also acceptable depending on what you're describing, but "In the start of the week" sounds unnatural to a native speaker, because "start," unlike "beginning," has a meaning that is more related to the instant something begins.
I found all of these phrases in The New York Times using Google:
At the beginning of the week they were a tentative bunch
At the start of the week, that sounds pretty great.
The gain might have been wider, retailers said, had the period of cool weather in the beginning of the week been extended.
So you can be assured that those three uses are acceptable, but again, you probably want to use "at" instead of "in."
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Thank you 1^ . But on one hand you noted that " "In the start of the week" sounds unnatural to a native speaker", and on the other hand you brought by yourself an example from the media. I found it as well in newspaper from the UK. How could be considered as unnatural to a native speaker while it's there? (or you meant just to the preposition "in" and "at" which was my mistake (I saw them with "at"). Apr 15, 2017 at 9:49
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1@UbiquitousStudent yes I meant that "In the start of the week" is specifically unnatural because of "in." When someone says "the start of the week" it often carries a meaning that is specific to the very instant the week starts. And since you can't be in an instant, it sounds somewhat strange to me as a native speaker. However, you can be "at" an instant, even if you can't be "in" it. Apr 15, 2017 at 16:53