spanning multiple years

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "spanning multiple years" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a project, event, or trend that extends over several years. For example, "The research project was spanning multiple years to gather comprehensive data." Alternative expressions include "covering several years" and "lasting several years."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

For isolates obtained during a reported period spanning multiple years, the mean year of a study was calculated and was used as the year of collection.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Longitudinal MRI sets (OASIS) were used from healthy subjects that underwent MRI scanning in three or more sessions spanning multiple years (Marcus et al., 2010).

Aging Cell

With data spanning multiple years and the ability to link records across several datasets, it is possible using SAIL to track the healthcare utilisation history of patients in receipt of some form of intervention for a given condition across multiple healthcare sectors both before and after their index/reference healthcare event.

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Students who completed the training demonstrated, over multiple sections of the course spanning multiple years, highly significant improvement both in their critical-thinking skills (as measured by the CAT; Table 1 and associated figures) and in their willingness to engage the theory of evolution (assessed with the MATE; Table 2 and associated figures).

CBE Life Sciences Education

At the curricular level, a learning progression spanning multiple years can help teams of instructors uncover novice explanations of phenomena and intentionally advance students' expert-level, scientific explanations (NRC, 2007; Duncan and Hmelo-Silver, 2009; Mohan et al., 2009).

CBE Life Sciences Education

The gesture occurred several hundred times during the course of the present study, but it has never been seen outside of the Colchester community despite extensive study of other communities, spanning multiple years, observers, and continents.

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

The commercial agreement between Apple and Samsung is unknown and could span multiple years.

TechCrunch

The partnership between Orange and OpenX spans multiple years and is mutually exclusive to all regions Orange operates in.

TechCrunch

Most studies spanned multiple years, which would account for differences in seasonality of pneumonia, but a few were conducted for one year or less.

Plosone

As this study did not span multiple years, we could not document the ability of antibiograms to detect trends.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Second, the gauge's period of record had to span multiple years before and after the construction of the dam.

Evolutionary Applications

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "spanning multiple years", ensure the context clearly defines what is being measured or observed over that time frame. Be specific about the start and end points, if known, to enhance clarity.

Common error

Avoid using "spanning multiple years" without providing context. For example, instead of saying "The project spanned multiple years", specify "The research project spanned multiple years, from 2020 to 2025, allowing for comprehensive data collection".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "spanning multiple years" functions as an adjectival modifier, describing a noun by indicating a time frame that extends over several years. It is used to specify the duration or timeframe of an event, project, or study, as shown in Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

43%

Formal & Business

7%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "spanning multiple years" serves as an adjectival modifier indicating that something extends over a period of several years. As verified by Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct and most commonly found in scientific and news contexts, suggesting its utility in describing long-term studies, projects, or events. While it's a useful and appropriate phrase, ensure clarity by specifying the context of what is being measured over those years. Alternatives like "covering several years" or "extending over many years" can provide similar meaning with slight variations in emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

covering several years

Replaces "multiple" with "several", offering a less specific quantification of the years involved.

extending over many years

Substitutes "spanning" with "extending" and "multiple" with "many", altering the verb and quantifier while keeping the core meaning.

lasting for a number of years

Replaces "spanning multiple years" with a phrase emphasizing the duration of the period.

occurring across numerous years

Changes the verb to "occurring" and "multiple" to "numerous" to highlight the event's presence throughout the years.

continuing over several years

Uses "continuing" instead of "spanning", focusing on the ongoing nature of the activity or event.

encompassing multiple years

Replaces "spanning" with "encompassing", providing a more inclusive sense of the time period.

ranging across multiple years

Uses "ranging" to indicate that the subject varies or exists throughout the specified years.

taking place over many years

Highlights the occurrence of an event throughout the years, using "taking place" to replace "spanning".

developing over a period of years

Emphasizes the development process, replacing "spanning" with "developing" and adding "period of".

unfolding across several years

Emphasizes the gradual revelation or progression of events over the specified time frame, replacing "spanning" with "unfolding".

FAQs

How can I use "spanning multiple years" in a sentence?

You can use "spanning multiple years" to describe a period of time over which something occurs or exists. For example, "The data collection "spanning multiple years" allowed for a comprehensive analysis".

What are some alternatives to the phrase "spanning multiple years"?

Alternatives include "covering several years", "extending over many years", or "lasting for a number of years", depending on the specific context.

Is there a difference between "spanning multiple years" and "spanning several years"?

While both phrases are similar, "spanning multiple years" suggests a potentially larger or undefined number of years, whereas "spanning several years" implies a smaller, more definite quantity.

What kind of projects or events are typically described as "spanning multiple years"?

This phrase commonly describes long-term research projects, business agreements, data collection efforts, and any other activity that extends over a period of several years. For example, "The commercial agreement between Apple and Samsung is unknown and could "span multiple years"".