a span of vs the span of

Both 'a span of' and 'the span of' are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'A span of' is used when referring to a non-specific or indefinite period of time or distance, while 'the span of' is used when referring to a specific or definite period of time or distance.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 1163 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"a span of"

Use 'a span of' when referring to a non-specific or indefinite period of time or distance. It indicates a range or extent without specifying a particular instance.

Examples:

A span of five years passed before they met again.
The bridge has a span of 100 meters.
She gazed out over a span of rolling hills.
The project covers a span of various disciplines.
He studied a span of different cultures during his travels.

Show examples from the web [+]

She had enraged two powerful men this day, and all within a span of an hour! It has five wide arches, the central one having a span of 35 ft., and is well ...
A period of time: a span of life. tr.v. spanned, span·ning, spans. 1. To extend across in space or time: a bridge that spans the gorge; a career that spanned 40 ...
Jul 22, 2015 ... the length of something: A lifetime is a span of about seventy years. The Rangers scored three goals in the span of five minutes.› A span is also ...
a span of lace. 4. Civil Engineering, Architecture. the distance between two supports of a structure. the structure so supported. the distance or space between two ...

Alternatives:

a range of
an extent of
a stretch of
a period of
a distance of

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"the span of "

Use 'the span of' when referring to a specific or definite period of time or distance. It indicates a particular range or extent that is known or specified.

Examples:

The span of the bridge is 200 meters.
She measured the span of the room for the new furniture.
The study covers the span of the 20th century.
He calculated the span of the marathon route.
The book explores the span of human history.

Show examples from the web [+]

How could this woman have so profound an effect in the span of five minutes? Io) to be the surface of the sea, b c the bottom, and c c the straight line made by ...
2. the complete duration or extent: the span of his life. 3. (Psychology) psychol the amount of material that can be processed in a single mental act: apprehension ...
a limited portion of time <span of life> <I learned to ski in the span of one hour.> 2 . : the spread (as of an arch or bridge) from one support to another. 3.
Aug 26, 2011 ... The Span of a Set of Vectors. In this video, I look at the notion of a span of a vector set. I work in R2 just to keep things simple, but the results ...

Alternatives:

the range of
the extent of
the stretch of
the period of
the distance of

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a span of vs the span of

"a span of"

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