{"id":9264,"date":"2020-11-11T09:58:02","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T09:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?p=9264"},"modified":"2023-09-12T14:59:37","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T14:59:37","slug":"before-vs-by-dates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/before-vs-by-dates\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Before&#8221; or &#8220;By&#8221; when using Dates &#038; Temporal Expressions"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:150%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If there&rsquo;s one definite way to describe how languages work, well, I&rsquo;d probably not be writing this article at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/learningcenter.unc.edu\/tips-and-tools\/learning-a-second-language\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Language is complex<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, albeit novel, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-nonetheless\/\"><b>nonetheless<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> arbitrary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, language prescriptivism has proven to be one of the most effective ways to decode the human communication process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, this approach may not be generally applicable for every learner out there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that the power of contextual meaning and message implicatures are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-or-after-also-the-definitive-guide\/\"><b>also<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> duly important.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, let&rsquo;s now try to both syntactically and pragmatically scrutinize the meaning behind &ldquo;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before x&rdquo; <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and &ldquo;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by x&rdquo;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(I bet this blog could help you meet your deadlines accordingly.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b><b>How are &ldquo;before&rdquo; and &ldquo;by&rdquo; different from each other?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>There are several ways to look at the differences between these two words. <\/b><b>The most conspicuous, however, is that <\/b><b><i>before x <\/i><\/b><b>means anytime prior to &ldquo;x&rdquo; while <\/b><b><i>by x <\/i><\/b><b>denotes the time either prior to or within &ldquo;x&rdquo; (= including x).<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that one would presumably be happier if the boss requires a deadline &ldquo;by a certain date&rdquo; because of the extra time leeway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These words, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-too-the-definitive-guide\/\"><b>too<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, differ in the parts of speech where they belong.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can function as a preposition, adverb, and conjunction, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/?s=whereas\"><b>whereas <\/b><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may be used as a preposition, adverb, and noun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the sake of this post, though, we will dig some miles deeper into the temporal prepositional function of each word, or its relevance to time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b><b>The Preposition<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &ldquo;<\/span><b>Before&rdquo;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humans are capable of making sense of time both hypothetically <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-after-and\/\"><b>and<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> realistically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of this, we are able to describe events in a sequential manner by using lexical terms that denote temporal meanings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We do have the ability to explain<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">different time periods by taking various time reference points as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in its simplest denotation, is the opposite of &ldquo;after&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">Before we moved to Atlanta, my wife had been really difficult to deal with.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its temporal sense, it refers to an unspecified time neither in the present nor the future.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, if the reference point in a numerical series is &ldquo;five&rdquo;, then <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">must include all the numbers from 4.9 down to all the negative integers only, but not any number equal to or greater than five.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can we skip the maths, please?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, previous research suggests that using <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in demonstrating thought connections could be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-rather\/\"><b>rather<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ambiguous compared with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is due to the hypothetical rather than the realistic nature of the event described when using <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, especially in introductory clauses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;After&rdquo;, on the flip side, can be used to feature events that actually take place instead, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/comma-before-thereby\/\"><b>thereby<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> making this easier to use compared with the former word.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">After we moved to Atlanta, my wife has become easier to deal with.&nbsp;<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This ambiguity may also be connected to some people&rsquo;s confusion in using <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in their temporal senses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telling them apart may not be that simple for others, but let&rsquo;s try to differentiate them by focusing on their temporal prepositional usages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Before &ldquo;x&rdquo;: The Temporal Sense<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some parts of speech could be more perplexing to understand and use than others because of the absence of prescriptive guiding rules.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is especially true in deciding which prepositions should fit in the sentence construction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Determining the appropriate preposition could drag writers in finishing even just one sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The temporal meaning of <i>before <\/i>refers to any period preceding another particular occurrence or event.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Therefore, it can never take place anytime within or after the specified time denoted by the word or words succeeding <i>before.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">Please call me before dinner.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The problem with the sentence above, though, is how the message recipient would comprehend the time connotation of the word &ldquo;dinner&rdquo;.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does dinner time mean before 7 pm? Or, is it maybe after?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer might be dependent on the message recipient&rsquo;s own schedule, which is quite arguable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, let&rsquo;s look at another example to make things clearer.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">You should submit your monthly report before Monday next week.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If anyone would be given this deadline on a Monday of the current week, then he or she approximately has Tuesday until Sunday to complete the task.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If he or she needs to create printed copies, and, if the company doesn&rsquo;t operate on weekends, then the submission is expected to be done on Friday at the latest, which is four days later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, if the submission can be done electronically, then the report can be submitted on Sunday at 11:59 pm at the latest, which means six days later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And, on Monday the following week, the report must already be on the boss&rsquo; desk when he arrives at the office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9270\" src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions.jpg\" alt=\"Before Vs By Dates Temporal Expressions\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions.jpg 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-561x842.jpg 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-364x546.jpg 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-728x1092.jpg 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-608x912.jpg 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-758x1137.jpg 758w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions.jpg\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9270 eager-load\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201000%201500'%3E%3Crect%20width='1000'%20height='1500'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"Before Vs By Dates Temporal Expressions\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions.jpg 320w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-561x842.jpg 561w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-364x546.jpg 364w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-728x1092.jpg 728w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-608x912.jpg 608w, https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Before-Vs-By-Dates-Temporal-Expressions-758x1137.jpg 758w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>The Preposition &ldquo;By&rdquo;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to the above example, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is also a preposition that can be used in numerous ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its most fundamental meaning, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is an identifier of an action-performing agent.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">Mom crafted this basket by hand.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or, as an identifier of the means of transportation.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">The tourists came here by coach.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then again, for the sake of addressing the lexical gap related to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the temporal prepositional sense will be given the most attention in the following sentences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The prepositional usage of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">means it is directly<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">followed by another noun or pronoun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To know its temporal sense, the subsequent word is expected to connote a temporal meaning as well, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/such-as-in-a-sentence\/\"><b>such as<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> names of days or months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>By &ldquo;x&rdquo;: The temporal sense<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a sentence makes use of this prepositional pattern, the reader should be expecting something related to a deadline or a due date.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is indicative of the due date which is inclusive of the timeframe denoted by the succeeding nominal word.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Put simply, this means that while <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is only limited to the time preceding the subsequent temporal noun, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">encompasses the time implicated within the temporal noun as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\" style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">You should submit your monthly report by Monday next week.<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sentence above denotes a little more leniency towards the deadline stated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>The boss, in this case, therefore assumes that the report may be submitted on or before Monday at 11:59 pm at the latest.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b><\/b><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Temporal prepositions may not be as easy as pie, especially for non-native English learners, and for some children learning these words for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These words could create doubt or confusion which readily needs to be addressed accordingly, especially in the present interconnected world that values diversity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, if using the right word does not suffice, then explaining a little further, for the sake of avoiding miscommunication, wouldn&rsquo;t hurt a toe.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If there&rsquo;s one definite way to describe how languages work, well, I&rsquo;d probably not be writing this article at all. Language is complex, albeit novel, and nonetheless arbitrary. Yes, language prescriptivism has proven to be one of the most effective ways to decode the human communication process. However, this approach may not be generally applicable &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9269,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false,"_convertkit_action_broadcast_export":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1116],"tags":[184],"class_list":["post-9264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grammar","tag-before-vs-by"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9264"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9271,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9264\/revisions\/9271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguaholic.com\/linguablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}