Recently (September 2011), I hear some people would say "last August", which confuses me a little bit. Does "last August" refer to August this year or August last year? And can we also say "this August"? And what does "this August" mean?
Learn English – What does “last August” refer to
meaning
Best Answer
Last August will generally refer to the August of the previous calendar year.
If it is September 2010 and I mention what we did "last August", I almost certainly don't mean August 2010 (last month), but rather August 2009.
August of the same calendar year would generally be discussed by saying "in August". This applies whether it is June or October.
For example:
"Is Margaret coming in August?" (August is later in the year)
"That library book was due in August." (August has passed)
If your librarian tells you your book was due last August, you're going to be paying a much higher fine.