[Grammar] Over the past…phrase

[goldenace]

'Over the past 50 years paracetamol has become the most widely used analgesic and antipyretic agent.'

Does that mean at some point during those 50 years paracetamol became the most widely used drug? Or paracetamol continued to be the most widely used drug for 50 years?

 

[MikeNewYork]

'Over the past 50 years paracetamol has become the most widely used analgesic and antipyretic agent.'

Does that mean at some point during those 50 years paracetamol became the most widely used drug? Or paracetamol continued to be the most widely used drug for 50 years?

It means the first. Paracetamol (acetaminophen in the US) became available in the 1950's but it did not overtake aspirin in sales until the 1980s.

 

[Rover_KE]

You cannot assume from the statement, goldenace, that paracetamol became the most widely used drug — just the most widely used analgesic and antipyretic agent.

 

[goldenace]

Yes, you're right. My apologies.

 

[5jj]

It means the first. Paracetamol (acetaminophen in the US) became available in the 1950's but it did not overtake aspirin in sales until the 1980s.

We cannot tell that from the original sentence. All we can say from that, assuming the article was written this year, is that paracetamol became the most widely used analgesic and antipyretic agent at some time beween 1963 and 2013.

 

[goldenace]

So on its own "over the past" does not have a distinct definition in this context?

 

[emsr2d2]

So we really don't know anything using the information I provided? Well apart from paracetamol being used as an analgesic and an antipyretic.

We know what 5jj wrote in post #5.

 

[5jj]

Well, we know that paracetamol became, and still is, the most widely used analgesic and antipyretic agent. We just don't know exactly when it overtook its leading rival.

 

[MikeNewYork]

We cannot tell that from the original sentence. All we can say from that, assuming the article was written this year, is that paracetamol became the most widely used analgesic and antipyretic agent at some time beween 1963 and 2013.

That is why I chose the first meaning. The rest was just supplemental information.