around four generations

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "around four generations" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when estimating a time span or lineage that encompasses approximately four generations of people or things. Example: "The family has lived in this house for around four generations, passing down stories and traditions."

✓ Grammatically correct

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

A deftly told ghost story woven around three generations in 1960s Bombay.

The Guardian - Books

Out of the unspoken regret behind each character's bravado, Kwei-Armah manufactures a strong melodrama around three generations of black men.

The New Yorker

Our findings suggest that for runs of or around ten generations' duration as is typical in DE there is little difference between the way in which DE needs to be configured in the high- and low-throughput regimes, nor across different degrees of landscape epistasis.

Journal of Theoretical Biology

Yet the autocratic shape of those states (and in fact of nearly all the 22 member-countries of the Arab League) did take form around three generations ago when most Arab countries gained independence and when wealth from oil began to accrue for many.

The Economist

Twenty generations puts you over the million mark, and somewhere around thirty generations, your ancestors would seem to outnumber the world's entire population at the time.

Huffington Post

The examination of topological convergence (AWTY analysis) between our parallel Bayesian searches revealed that while the analyses did not converge, at around five million generations they stabilized at approximately 2 symmetric differences from one another.

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Our primary result that around five generations separate a typical progeny from the infecting genome is a specific and testable hypothesis, and we have sought to emphasize that point more explicitly.

eLife

"The movie industry has been around for four generations," said P.J. McNealy, a game industry analyst with American Technology Research in San Francisco.

Los Angeles Times

The show follows the Anderson family, who have been fishing the seas around Alaska for four generations.

Huffington Post

Because of the overshoot, the socialist is relatively slow to reach its final steady state, taking around one cell generation (see also Fig. 2).

Plosone

I'll miss the precious time with four generations gathered around the dinner table at my eldest daughter's house just 10 miles from where I'll be working.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "around four generations" when you want to indicate an approximate time span or lineage, rather than a precise number of generations. For example, "The tradition has been passed down for "around four generations".

Common error

Avoid using "around four generations" when a precise number is known or necessary. If you know it's exactly four generations, state it directly: "for four generations".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "around four generations" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb or clause to indicate an approximate duration or extent. While there are no exact examples from Ludwig, this determination is based on its structure and typical usage. Ludwig AI indicates the phrase is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

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Formal & Business

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Less common in

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "around four generations" serves to approximate a time span or lineage, indicating a period lasting approximately four generations of people. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness, though there are no direct examples available in the current search data. It functions as an adverbial phrase, offering a flexible way to describe duration or continuity when a precise count isn't known or necessary. Alternatives like "approximately four generations" or "roughly four generations" can be used interchangeably. The phrase's neutral register makes it suitable for a variety of contexts, both formal and informal.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

approximately four generations

Uses a synonym for "around" to indicate an estimate.

roughly four generations

Employs another synonym for "around" to convey approximation.

about four generations

Replaces "around" with "about", indicating an approximation.

in the ballpark of four generations

Uses a more colloquial expression to suggest an approximate number.

four or so generations

Adds "or so" to imply an approximate quantity.

nearly four generations

Uses "nearly" to indicate a close approximation.

almost four generations

Similar to "nearly", indicating the quantity is close to four.

for about four generations

Emphasizes the duration with "for about".

four generations give or take

Includes "give or take" to explicitly express a range around the number.

spanning four generations

Focuses on the duration across four generations.

FAQs

What does "around four generations" mean?

It means approximately four generations, indicating an estimated time span or lineage rather than a precise count.

What can I say instead of "around four generations"?

You can use alternatives like "approximately four generations", "roughly four generations", or "about four generations" depending on the context.

How do I use "around four generations" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe how long a tradition has lasted, a family has lived in a place, or a skill has been passed down. For example, "The family has farmed this land for "around four generations".

Is it better to say "around four generations" or "for four generations"?

It depends on whether you know the exact number. Use "for four generations" if you're certain of the count. Use "around four generations" when you're estimating.