9

The quiz covers all the material up to the week of the quiz Sept.30 - Oct.6.

Does this mean that September 29 is the last date, or that the week Sept.30 - Oct.6 is included in this span?

RegDwigнt
  • 97,231
user13536
  • 91
  • In itself, up to is open to interpretation on this point, different people may understand things differently unless context makes it clear (or the fuller up to and including is used). In your case, however, it isn't an issue because the sentence states that it is specifying a week. So Oct. 6th, the seventh day, is included. – Rupe Jun 19 '14 at 09:59
  • @oerkelens: this question also asks about using "up to" with a range of values. (And that part doesn't seem to be addressed in any of the answers.) Thus, I disagree that it is a duplicate. – Marthaª Jun 19 '14 at 13:42
  • This question and and answer is three years earlier than the one it is said to duplicate. More significantly, the answers here are the opposite of the accepted answer there – Henry Jan 05 '20 at 23:44

2 Answers2

5

I would expect up to to include the end point. If you climbed up to the tree house, I would expect you to be in the tree house or at least at that level.

As another example, if told "Sum all the positive whole numbers up to 5", I would do 1+2+3+4+5=15.

Henry
  • 20,183
  • 1
    I would agree with this answer. Example: If someone's bank account was "up to one thousand dollars," that would mean it has been rising and is now equal to one thousand dollars. If floodwaters are "up to my neck," that means the water is exactly at my neck's level. – Blazemonger Oct 03 '11 at 15:49
  • "climbed up to the tree house" does not include the phrase "up to" - it includes the phrases "climbed up" and "to the tree house". – mtraceur Oct 27 '22 at 04:07
  • We could argue that "(climbed) (up to) (the tree house)" is a valid parse too, because English is ambiguous like that, but... well I don't have the stamina to get into it right now, I'm just going to assert that they're not the same thing and that if you parse it that way, it can legitimately change the interpretation from being at the tree house level to just barely grazing the tree house foundation with the tips of your arm as you reach up. – mtraceur Oct 27 '22 at 04:11
1

Up to means up to the point of but not beyond. However, it is sometimes used (in my opinion incorrectly) to mean up to and including. I believe that technically, up to means <, and through means <=.

That said, I think you should definitely study the material through October 6.

xpda
  • 1,696