He visits his grandparents once in every 2-3 years.
vs
He visits his grandparents once every 2-3 years .
vs
He visits his grandparents every 2-3 years.
What's the difference between the three of the above sentences? Which one is more natural?
asked May 28, 2018 at 6:43
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1 Answer
Let's review them in the reverse order.
He visits his grandparents every 2-3 years.
Quite idiomatic. Sounds good.
He visits his grandparents once every 2-3 years .
This is alright. Compared to the first sentence it seems to be emphasizing the infrequency of the visits. Only "once" every 3 years. Not very often.
He visits his grandparents once in every 2-3 years.
Not really a correct expression.
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So that means, > He goes swimming once in a week. Is an incorrect expression. Here, in is unnecessary. Am i right ? May 28, 2018 at 8:20
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Except that I "understand" the last two sentences in a different way than the first one. In the first one, I take it to mean "he will wait two to three years before seeing his grandparents again." But, in the last two sentences (more the third than the second, actually), I take it to mean "Sometime in the next two to three years, he will see his grandparents again. It may be next week, next month, or next year, but it will happen." To me, the use of in implies an inclusive range more than does its lack—even if I would rephrase it to "once in a two to three year period." May 28, 2018 at 20:33