for some two years

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "for some two years" is a valid phrase in written English.
You can use it to describe a duration of time - for example, "She lived in Australia for some two years."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

10 human-written examples

At age 10 she became the centre of an highly publicized custody case between her mother and her aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who had been housing young Gloria on her New York estate for some two years.

Encyclopedia Britannica

For some two years the Czech protectorate kept the semblance of an autonomous body, but in September 1941 Reinhard Heydrich, the head of German secret police, replaced Neurath as Reich protector and inaugurated a reign of terror.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Still, Mr. Lee, who was wooed to Mount Vernon from the Gary, Ind., public library system to fill a position vacant for some two years, said he felt the problems could be overcome.

The New York Times

For some two years he worked in secret on this new approach to the making of art, keeping the results hidden from sight until he showed a large group of suprematist pictures in the legendary Last Futurist Exhibition of Painting 0.10, held in the Dobchina Art Bureau in the recently named Petrograd.

The Guardian - Arts

Yes, Google is working on a mobile phone project, and has been for some two years now, but it's not an actual phone.

TechCrunch

As for the raid itself, police say it was in the works for some two years, and targeted the very top of the "piracy pyramid".

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

48 human-written examples

Rhaphidograptus toernquisti managed to persist, unchanged, for some five million years.

The New Yorker

41-year-old Gosney has only been playing poker for some three years.

The Guardian - Sport

The first commercial quantities of oil are not expected for some seven years.

The New York Times

Opened in the seventies, the mine had been closed for some twenty years.

The New Yorker

By that point, people had already been living in Australia for some fifty thousand years.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "for some two years" when you want to indicate an approximate duration of two years, suggesting it's not an exact figure but close to it.

Common error

Avoid using "for some two years" when you need to express a precise two-year duration. In such cases, it's better to say "for two years" without "some".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "for some two years" functions as a prepositional phrase modifying a verb or noun, indicating the duration of an action or state. It specifies an approximate timeframe of two years. Ludwig provides various examples of this usage in different contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Encyclopedias

20%

Science

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

10%

Wiki

10%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "for some two years" is a grammatically correct prepositional phrase used to indicate an approximate duration of two years. While Ludwig AI confirms its validity, it's less common than alternatives like "for about two years" or "for approximately two years". Its usage spans various contexts, including news, encyclopedias, and general discussions, maintaining a neutral register. When precision is required, "for two years" is preferred. The expert rating reflects confidence in its correct usage, noting that it is suitable for specifying an approximate duration within a roughly two-year timeframe.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

for approximately two years

Replaces "some" with "approximately", emphasizing an estimate rather than a precise duration.

for about two years

Substitutes "some" with "about", indicating a rough estimate of the duration.

for a couple of years

Replaces "some two years" with the more colloquial "a couple of years".

for around two years

Uses "around" instead of "some", suggesting an approximate timeframe.

for roughly two years

Similar to "approximately", "roughly" indicates an inexact duration.

for nearly two years

Emphasizes that the duration is close to, but not quite, two years.

for almost two years

Similar to "nearly", indicating a duration approaching two years.

for a period of two years

More formal and explicit, replacing "some" with "a period of".

over a two-year period

Rephrases to emphasize the two-year timeframe as a specific period.

spanning two years

Uses a participial phrase to describe the duration.

FAQs

How can I use "for some two years" in a sentence?

You can use "for some two years" to indicate an approximate duration. For example, "The project was under development "for some two years" before it was launched".

What's the difference between "for some two years" and "for two years"?

"For some two years" implies an approximate duration, whereas "for two years" suggests a precise duration. The inclusion of "some" adds a degree of imprecision.

Is it more common to say "for some two years" or "for about two years"?

"For about two years" is generally more common and sounds more natural in contemporary English. "For some two years" is grammatically correct but less frequently used.

What phrases are similar to "for some two years"?

Similar phrases include "for approximately two years", "for around two years", or "for a couple of years", all indicating an estimated duration of around two years.