Learning prepositions in any language is difficult, and English is no exception. So many students struggle with knowing how to use the prepositions within and without.
We have lots of prepositions, and some of them seem to be used in strange ways. They can be pretty hard to know how to use.
Today, we will be focusing on how to use within and how to use without in English the correct way.
What Are Prepositions?
I just used that word a lot in the paragraph above, didn’t I? Before I explain within and without, you need to understand prepositions. Prepositions are a part of speech that is used before pronouns, nouns, and noun phrases to connect them to another word and give information about place or time. For example, we have the sentence, “The book is on the table.” On is the preposition that tells us where the book is. Let’s look at, “I fell asleep during class.” During tells us when I fell asleep – during the time of the class.
Now that we understand the basics of prepositions, let’s move on to…
How to Use Within
Within can be either a preposition, adjective, or an adverb. Today, we’ll focus on the prepositional use for the word. It can be used in many different ways. I’ll explain them one by one with a little help from Merriam-Webster:
1. Inside of a Place, Thing, or Person
This use of within is very similar to in. It’s why so many people confuse the two words. Using within instead of in sometimes sounds a little bit more formal, serious, or old fashioned, so be careful using it. Let’s look at some example sentences:
- The screaming is coming from within the apartment building.
- She found the inner strength within herself to finish the difficult test.
- We studied about different cultures within the United States.
2. Before a Time Period Ends
This is one of the most common uses for the word within. It tells us something happens, is happening, will happen or has happened before a certain time period is over. Let’s check out some more examples:
- The doctor will tell me the results within the next two days.
- Did you finish your test within the time limit?
- Can you return my call within the hour?
3. In a Specific Range of Time, Distance, Ability, etc.
We can also use this preposition to show that something happens, happened, will happen, or is happening in a specific range. This range can be describing time, physical distance, or one’s abilities (like senses, finances, knowledge, etc.). Here are some examples:
- The car stopped within two inches of hitting the baby’s stroller.
- He turned his homework in within ten minutes of the deadline.
- Sadly, buying everyone a pet monkey is not within the company’s budget.
How to Use Without
Similarly to within, without can be used either as a preposition or adverb. This article only covers its use as a preposition. Let’s take a look at the two main uses for without:
1. Not having something or something not being characteristic of a thing, person, place, etc.
We can use without to show that a noun (person, place, thing, idea, etc.) or pronoun (words like he, she, it, etc.) does not have a certain noun or pronoun. We can also use it to show that a noun or pronoun doesn’t have a certain characteristic or quality. Take a look at the sentences below:
- He farted in the elevator without shame.
- She ate her steak without a fork or knife. She only used her hands!
- Billy showed up to the birthday party without an invitation and ruined everyone’s mood.
2. Without doing or having done an action
This is similar to the example above, but instead of a noun or pronoun not having another noun or pronoun, the noun or pronoun doesn’t do a certain verb (action word). Check out these examples:
- My father went to work this morning without turning off his phone’s alarm. How annoying!
- I ate all of my cookies without drinking any milk.
- Some people say whatever they want without thinking.
Quiz
The following is a multiple choice quiz. Try to see if you can get all of the answers correct.
- A preposition is…
A) A person, place, thing, or idea.
B) An action word.
C) A word that is used before pronouns, nouns, and noun phrases to connect them to another word and give information about place or time.
D) A word that is used to replace nouns to make language flow better. - I went to work _______ eating breakfast.
A) without
B) so
C) within
D) and having to forgotten that is - Can you turn your work into me ______ two weeks?
A) while
B) for
C) without
D) within - You can’t eat pizza _______ cheese.
A) through
B) without
C) within
D) worthwhile
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Our lesson on these two prepositions is over. I hope it was helpful for you. If you have any questions or comments, want to check your answers, or just want to say hi, please leave a comment. Looking for more free English lessons? Check out my guide to this, that, these, and those and my guide to synonyms and antonyms.