〜にわたって

About

～にわたって attaches to nouns that express distance, time, or a number of occurrences.

～にわたって indicates a "span" (e.g., of time or distance).

When ～にわたって attaches to a place, distance, or to a period of time, it emphasizes that a given area is large, or that a length of time or space is long.

When ～にわたって attaches to a number of occurrences, it emphasizes that said number is large.

～にわたって is stiff, and formal in tone, and is mainly used in official situations, such as on the news, or in formal writing.

E.g. 5キロにわたって桜さくら並木なみきが続つづいている。 "Rows of sakura trees continued for five kilometers."

E.g. 週末しゅうまつは、東日本ひがしにほんで広ひろい範囲はんいにわたって雪ゆきが降ふるでしょう。 "Over the weekend, snow is expected to fall over a wide area of eastern Japan."

E.g. 大雪おおゆきが、2週間しゅうかんにわたり降ふり続つづいていました。 "The snow continued to fall over the span of two weeks."

Summary

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  にわたって attaches to nouns that express distance, time, or a number of occurrences and indicates a "span" (e.g., of time or distance)

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  ～にわたって is stiff, and formal in tone, and is mainly used in official situations