"over the past X months" vs "since the past X months"
Are they the same?
Does they indicate what tense to be used?
For example,
Over the past 10 months, gold has become the most popular commodity.
Over the past 10 months, gold became the most popular commodity.
Or they cannot indicate which tense to be used?
Thanks in advance.
GMAT Forum
2 postsPage 1 of 1
- RonPurewal
- Students
- Posts: 19744
- Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:23 am
you shouldn't use 'since' with a time interval. think of 'since' as a word that puts a pen down at a specific POINT on a timeline, and then draws a big fat arrow to the right (up until the present). because 'since' starts at a POINT, it should, appropriately, refer to a POINT in time (not an interval)
so:
since the last 10 months is incorrect (that's an interval)
but
since 10 months ago is correct (because 10 months ago is a POINT in time).
when you use 'since', you will use PERFECT tenses. if you're talking about a situation that is still relevant to the present day, you use the present perfect:
since 1986, the world record in the discus throw has not been broken. <-- i.e., the record still hasn't been broken yet
if you're talking about a situation that was relevant at some point in the past, but is no longer relevant, then you use the past perfect:
when mike powell stepped up to the starting line in tokyo in august 1991, the world record in the long jump had not been broken since 1968. <-- since mike powell broke the record that year, the situation is no longer relevant now (at the time of writing).
--
when you use 'over/during/in the past TIME PERIOD', you normally use the present perfect, because that TIME PERIOD (and, presumably, the relevance of the event(s) under discussion) continues into the present:
for the past six months, the sheriff's department has been cracking down harder on teen drinking.
of course, if the TIME PERIOD is over, you use the simple past (unless other context clues dictate the use of a more complex tense):
between january and may of last year, over 23,000 complaints were filed with the healthcare provider's feedback department.
so:
since the last 10 months is incorrect (that's an interval)
but
since 10 months ago is correct (because 10 months ago is a POINT in time).
when you use 'since', you will use PERFECT tenses. if you're talking about a situation that is still relevant to the present day, you use the present perfect:
since 1986, the world record in the discus throw has not been broken. <-- i.e., the record still hasn't been broken yet
if you're talking about a situation that was relevant at some point in the past, but is no longer relevant, then you use the past perfect:
when mike powell stepped up to the starting line in tokyo in august 1991, the world record in the long jump had not been broken since 1968. <-- since mike powell broke the record that year, the situation is no longer relevant now (at the time of writing).
--
when you use 'over/during/in the past TIME PERIOD', you normally use the present perfect, because that TIME PERIOD (and, presumably, the relevance of the event(s) under discussion) continues into the present:
for the past six months, the sheriff's department has been cracking down harder on teen drinking.
of course, if the TIME PERIOD is over, you use the simple past (unless other context clues dictate the use of a more complex tense):
between january and may of last year, over 23,000 complaints were filed with the healthcare provider's feedback department.
2 posts Page 1 of 1