GalacticCactus Forum

Forums => English & Linguistics => Topic started by: Jonathon on May 29, 2007, 02:06:58 PM

Title: Spanned from
Post by: Jonathon on May 29, 2007, 02:06:58 PM

In my editing I came across something that seemed weird: "Construction spanned from 1732 to 1762." My impression is that something can span a time period ("spanned three decades") but not a range of dates (from x to y). M-W's definition says "to extend across." That doesn't seem to fit with the usage in my example.

Does anyone else think it's weird?

Title: Spanned from
Post by: Porter on May 29, 2007, 02:11:20 PM

Kinda weird, but only once you pointed it out.

Title: Spanned from
Post by: Brinestone on May 29, 2007, 02:49:52 PM

It doesn't sound wrong to me at all, though "spanned three decades" seems more familiar.

Title: Spanned from
Post by: JT on May 29, 2007, 03:00:54 PM

It's the 'spanned from' that's weird, if you ask me.

If the sentence read, "Construction spanned thirty years, from 1732-1762" it wouldn't seem so weird.  I think I expect 'spanned' to be followed by a unit of some sort (either time or distance) and not a preposition.

Title: Spanned from
Post by: Jonathon on May 29, 2007, 03:04:19 PM

Thanks, JT. My thoughts exactly.