in the past couple years vs in the past couple of years

Both phrases are correct, but their level of formality is slightly different. 'In the past couple years' is less common but is sometimes used informally. Meanwhile, 'in the past couple of years' is more widely accepted and formal. The addition of 'of' in the second phrase makes it more grammatically correct.

Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: October 16, 2024 • 13438 views

in the past couple years

This phrase is less common and may sound informal, but it is still correct.

This phrase is used informally to refer to a period of time in the recent past, typically within the last two years.

Show examples from the web [+]

2 days ago ... In the past couple years, Denison University has invested heavily in the Granville Inn and, to a lesser extent, the Granville Golf Course.
Jan 19, 2016 ... While the number of homeless in Orange County has risen little in the past couple years, deaths among the population jumped dramatically ...
I am perceiving a noticeable acceleration in the rate of technological advancement in the past couple years. Is there any truth to this and wh... What will be the ...
Dec 26, 2015 ... LG has come a long way in the past couple years. It has moved onto the top shelf of the Android world because it builds good stuff and is trying ...

Alternatives:

in the past few years
in recent years
in the last couple of years
in the last few years
in the recent past

in the past couple of years

This phrase is more widely accepted and formal due to the inclusion of 'of'.

This phrase is the more grammatically correct version and is commonly used to refer to a period of time in the recent past, typically within the last two years.

Show examples from the web [+]

In the past couple of years, we have seen the first driverless car, the first connected parking lot and the first smart energy grid. While these industry firsts are ...
Oct 18, 2015 ... I don't know why, but I'm more likely to say "in the past couple of years" or "in the past year or so" or "in the past years" – Mari-Lou A Oct 18 '15 ...
Jan 1, 2016 ... The mall has been the site of at least two other shooting incidents in the past couple of years. On May 26, 2015, the mall was put on lockdown ...
In the past couple of years, though, we've seen an acceleration. Online work platforms, such as. Uber, Airbnb, Etsy, and Elance, that connect workers directly to ...

Alternatives:

in the past few years
in recent years
in the last couple of years
in the last few years
in the recent past

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in the past couple years vs in the past couple of years

in the past couple years

in the past couple of years

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