made a decade

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "made a decade" is not correct in standard written English.
It is unclear and does not convey a clear meaning without additional context. Example: "The project made a decade of progress in just a few years."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

14 human-written examples

In 1997, a training tape made a decade earlier by Jack McMahon, an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia, instructed new prosecutors on the importance of keeping African Americans off juries in high level criminal cases.

Huffington Post

This week, George Osborne made a decade happen in local government.

The Guardian - Opinion

A second attempt was made a decade later and failed again.

The Guardian

Essentially, it's a gloss on "Citizen Kane," which he made a decade and a half earlier, and which proved to be a great start to a desperate career.

The New Yorker

In 2014, Auburn athletics raked in nearly double what it made a decade before, but still finished the year in the red.

The Washington Post

Or rather, the timescales being canvassed were on the face of it more devious and odd in the works made a decade or so ago.

The Guardian - Arts

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

45 human-written examples

In the 1990s Julia Roberts unwittingly made a decade-defining fashion statement by attending a movie premiere with unshaven armpits.

The Guardian

And we know that al Qaeda deputy Ayman al Zawahiri has made a decade-long effort to develop anthrax into such a weapon.

Huffington Post

But then it came out that the I.P.C.C.'s projection was based not on the latest peer-reviewed evidence, but on speculative comments made a decade ago in a magazine interview by Syed Hasnain, a glaciologist who now works in an Indian research group led by Dr. Pachauri.

The New York Times - Science

But it is far from a home run for an investment made a decade ago, at the beginning of a leveraged-buyout boom that halted with the onset of the debt market decline in fall 2007.

The New York Times

In his bouncy, well-informed and wittily designed book, Garfield revels in the tribute Barry Deck, an American typographer, made a decade ago to Eric Gill – a letter cutter much influenced by Prince's Doves – in the form of a font he named Canicopulus.

The Guardian - Arts

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing events that took place within a ten-year timeframe, consider using more precise and grammatically accepted phrases like "spanned a decade" or "lasted a decade" instead of the ambiguous phrase "made a decade".

Common error

Avoid using "made a decade" to describe the duration or passage of time. Instead, opt for verbs like "spanned", "lasted", or rephrase to specify the time frame more clearly using phrases like "over the past decade".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "made a decade" functions ambiguously. It's often used in contexts where a duration or progression over a ten-year period is implied, although it's not grammatically standard. As Ludwig AI indicates, the phrase is not correct in standard written English and does not convey a clear meaning without additional context.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

66%

Science

18%

Formal & Business

16%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "made a decade" is frequently encountered but is not grammatically sound in standard English. According to Ludwig AI, it lacks clarity and requires context to be understood, making it less suitable for formal writing. While it appears across various sources such as news and media, science, and business contexts, it's advisable to opt for clearer alternatives such as "spanned a decade" or "lasted a decade" to avoid ambiguity and ensure grammatical correctness. The analysis suggests that rephrasing is crucial to maintaining clarity and professionalism in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

spanned a decade

Focuses on the duration, indicating the period covered.

lasted a decade

Emphasizes the duration of an event or period.

ten-year period

Highlights the length of time involved using a descriptive term.

decade-long

Similar to 'ten-year period' emphasizing the duration.

across the decade

Suggests activities or changes that occurred throughout a decade.

throughout the decade

Highlights events happening consistently during the course of ten years.

over the last decade

Refers to events that occurred within the past ten years.

in the past decade

Indicates occurrences within the recent ten-year period.

for a decade

Shows how long something lasted, with an emphasis on the amount of time.

ten years ago

Highlights the time passed from a specific event to the present, pinpointing the temporal distance.

FAQs

What does "made a decade" mean?

The phrase "made a decade" is not a standard English expression and its meaning is unclear without further context. It is generally better to use alternative phrases that specify the duration or achievements within a ten-year period.

What can I say instead of "made a decade"?

You can use alternatives like "spanned a decade", "lasted a decade", or "over the last decade" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "made a decade of progress"?

While "made a decade of progress" is more understandable, it's still better to rephrase for clarity. Consider saying "achieved a decade's worth of progress", which is more grammatically sound.

How can I describe something that happened over ten years?

You can describe it as something that "occurred over the last decade", "transpired within a decade", or "developed across the decade" to make your writing clear and grammatically correct.