Learn English – “During 1985 to 1988 , I worked at X company” — does it mean that 1988 was included

meaningprepositionsrange-inclusion

I am an ESL student and I wonder what the following sentence means.

During 1985 to 1988 , I worked at X company

Does it mean that 1988 was included?

I am not quite sure about the meaning since when this sentence was translated into my language, it meant that the person stopped their work in the beginning of 1988. However, I thought it meant that 1988 is included.

Best Answer

The phrasing indicates that employment at X began sometime between 1985-01-01 and 1985-12-31, and ended sometime between 1988-01-01 and 1988-12-31.

Best usage would be to use common date notations on a CV, with the dates abutting each other.

For example:

  • From 1985 to 1988 he worked at X.
  • From 1988 to 1993 he worked at Y.

This describes the broadest outlines of employment, although it does allow for anywhere between a period of unemployment nearly a year long, or almost an entire year's overlap between employers.

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