Is there a distinction between "within" and "in" as in, "upon finding a violation within the preceding four years" versus "upon finding a violation in the preceding four years"?
Learn English – Preposition: Within vs In
prepositionsword-choice
prepositionsword-choice
Is there a distinction between "within" and "in" as in, "upon finding a violation within the preceding four years" versus "upon finding a violation in the preceding four years"?
Best Answer
Not sure if you were asking only about your example, or more generally, so I’ll answer more generally. Consider these uses:
Consider swapping the words (within/in) in each of the four cases.
Latin uses different cases for each of these (ablative of time within which, for number 3, which is relevant to your example.
I was glad to see the question, because I see “within” used excessively in my technical field, as in, “the information resides within the database” and other pomposities. This is written in "formal" documents by people who would never say, "I hung my coat within the closet", but who think it sounds scientific, or erudite, or something when written in a technical paper.