only last 20 years vs only the last 20 years

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Only the last 20 years' is more commonly used and considered more grammatically correct as it includes the definite article 'the'. 'Only last 20 years' can be used in informal or conversational settings.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 308 views

This phrase is less common and informal but can be used in casual conversations.

"only last 20 years"

This phrase can be used in informal contexts or casual conversations to refer to the most recent 20 years without specifying a particular set of years.

Show examples from the web [+]

Only the last 20 years were a fraud.
It's only been the last 20 years that we've even known that dark energy - which is a repulsive force in essence, something that pushes the universe apart-
The growing importance of Indian civil society is evident in the proliferation of all kinds of voluntary organisations. (This is the preferred term in India; the term non-governmental organisation, or NGO, has become popular only in the last 20 years.)
Markets have changed beyond recognition in the last 20 years, but only for organizations at the top of the economy.
I spent the last 20 years thinking I was the only one who made it through from 2077.
It seems that it's only been in, I would say the last 20 years, that it really has come into its own, so to speak.
The only guy I know who's worn the same shoes for the last 20 years.
It was not only immigrants who were the victims of atrocities; the democratic system in Spain has been held up to ridicule, despite having demonstrated its tremendous capacity to evolve over the last 20 years.
There have only been, what, 10 cases in the last 20 years?
In the last 20 years, Western elites tirelessly trotted around the globe selling this prospectus: Multiple parties fight for political power and everyone voting on them is the only path to salvation to the long-suffering developing world.
They have only done this once - I think in the mid-1980s - in the last 20 years, while hard-pressed taxpayers in the European Union are meeting commitments in difficult times.
I've actually been in treatment for the last 20 years.
I've been a spy for the last 20 years.
He spent the last 20 years outthinking Russian spies.
Jules, you spent the last 20 years putting other people ahead of yourself.
These last 20 years have been tough on you.
And the Australians are winning without prayers since the last 20 years.
Here in Spain more than a thousand cases in the last 20 years.
The last 20 years of his life were with us in Milan.
I've been dodging this business for the last 20 years.

Alternatives:

only the last 20 years
just the last 20 years
only the past 20 years
just the past 20 years
only the most recent 20 years

This phrase is more commonly used and considered more grammatically correct as it includes the definite article 'the'.

"only the last 20 years"

This phrase is the more standard and grammatically correct way to refer to the most recent 20 years, specifying a particular set of years.

Show examples from the web [+]

Only the last 20 years were a fraud.
It's only been the last 20 years that we've even known that dark energy - which is a repulsive force in essence, something that pushes the universe apart-
The growing importance of Indian civil society is evident in the proliferation of all kinds of voluntary organisations. (This is the preferred term in India; the term non-governmental organisation, or NGO, has become popular only in the last 20 years.)
Markets have changed beyond recognition in the last 20 years, but only for organizations at the top of the economy.
I spent the last 20 years thinking I was the only one who made it through from 2077.
It seems that it's only been in, I would say the last 20 years, that it really has come into its own, so to speak.
The only guy I know who's worn the same shoes for the last 20 years.
It was not only immigrants who were the victims of atrocities; the democratic system in Spain has been held up to ridicule, despite having demonstrated its tremendous capacity to evolve over the last 20 years.
I've actually been in treatment for the last 20 years.
I've been a spy for the last 20 years.
He spent the last 20 years outthinking Russian spies.
Jules, you spent the last 20 years putting other people ahead of yourself.
And the Australians are winning without prayers since the last 20 years.
Here in Spain more than a thousand cases in the last 20 years.
The last 20 years of his life were with us in Milan.
I've been dodging this business for the last 20 years.
The last 20 years of your wife's memory have been erased.
I've been an accountant for the last 20 years.
Medicine has made some progress in the last 20 years.
He certainly has devoted the last 20 years to his experiments.

Alternatives:

only last 20 years
just the last 20 years
only the past 20 years
just the past 20 years
only the most recent 20 years

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only last 20 years vs only the last 20 years