for five successive years

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "for five successive years" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate a continuous period of five years in which something has occurred or been true. Example: "The company has achieved record profits for five successive years, demonstrating its strong market position."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

For five successive years it is the Arab world's bestselling novel.

The Guardian

Beard led Washington in scoring for five successive years and played in four All-Star Games.

The New York Times - Sports

The one award he did want, after being shortlisted for five successive years, was the Nobel – he won in 1973.

The Guardian - Books

For five successive years in the 1950s, he was voted Britain's top guitarist by readers of Melody Maker.

The Guardian

Households must splurge, but even more unlikely is their forecast that business investment will expand at over 6% each year for five successive years.

The Guardian

Under the leadership of headmaster Richard Cairns, the school has made a staggering climb up our league table for five successive years.

The Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

Although that has helped to keep TMG commercially successful, returning £50m-plus profits for three successive years, it has not solved the main problem of a paper that has lost its mojo and just doesn't know how to get it back.

The Guardian

Tristan's sire Hermit won the Epsom Derby in 1867 and became an outstandingly successful stallion, being Champion Sire for seven successive years.

Wikipedia

In a hugely successful spell, Inter won the league for four successive years but Vieira found himself increasingly troubled by injuries and departed for Manchester before the Italians' Champions League triumph in 2010.

Independent

They did this for three successive years.

The New York Times

A similar experimental design was applied for two successive years.

Veterinary Parasitology

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "for five successive years", ensure the context clearly establishes what event or condition persisted throughout that period to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid assuming "for five successive years" automatically implies the present or recent past. Always specify the exact years if the context isn't obvious.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "for five successive years" functions as an adverbial phrase modifying a verb or clause by specifying the duration of an action or state. It indicates how long something has been happening continuously. Ludwig AI confirms its usability.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

3%

Academia

4%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "for five successive years" is a grammatically correct adverbial phrase used to specify a continuous duration of five years. According to Ludwig AI, it is perfectly usable in written English. While it appears most frequently in News & Media, it's also used in Science and Formal & Business contexts. Alternatives include "over five consecutive years" and "for five years running". When using this phrase, ensure the context clearly indicates what persisted throughout the five-year period.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

over five consecutive years

Replaces "successive" with "consecutive", emphasizing the unbroken sequence of years.

across five straight years

Emphasizes the uninterrupted nature of the five-year period.

spanning five years consecutively

Highlights that the time frame covers or encompasses five consecutive years.

during a five-year period

Focuses on the "period" of five years, highlighting the duration.

through five subsequent years

Indicates that the five years followed a specific starting point or event.

for five years running

An idiomatic expression indicating something happening continuously over five years.

during five years in a row

Similar to "five years running" but more literal.

for a five-year stretch

Uses a more informal term "stretch" to describe a continuous period of five years.

over a five-year course

Uses "course" to denote the duration, often implying a process or development.

in five recurring years

Highlights the repeating aspect of the years in question.

FAQs

How do I use "for five successive years" in a sentence?

Use "for five successive years" to indicate that something has occurred or been true continuously over a period of five years. For instance, "The company has increased its profits "for five successive years"".

What's a more formal alternative to "for five successive years"?

A more formal alternative could be "over a period of five consecutive years" or "during five successive annual cycles".

Is there a shorter way to say "for five successive years"?

Yes, you could use "for five years running" as a more concise alternative.

What's the difference between ""for five successive years"" and "in five years"?

"For five successive years" implies continuity or repetition, while "in five years" refers to a point in the future, five years from now.