Learn English – OVER or IN the period/periods given

grammarprepositions

1999: travels-50

2000: travels-60

"The figure for travels increased over the period/periods given."

When it comes to the "over" in the sentence, is this a grammatically correct sentence? I am confused because I am not sure which preposition to use. Over/in

Best Answer

Both can be correct, but there is a difference in meaning between them. The term "over the period" explicitly distributes the event across the time, while "in the period" allows the event to happen all at once.

  1. Over a period of 10 years, the gambler lost a hundred thousand dollars.

In this sentence the loss will happen throughout the time frame.

  1. The detective concluded that the break in occurred in the period between 8am and noon time.

Here the event happens all at once, or for only a portion of the time.

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