"for some ten years" now???

Hello, Lynn,

I understand it as "for about/more or less ten years".

Some in this example means about, approximately. It is difficult to explain the fine shade of meaning. There is almost a hint that you know it is ten years or that you are fairly certain it is ten years, but you cannnot be sure without checking. About ten years indicates that you are definitely not sure of the number of years.

I am afraid it does not mean nearly.

Hi Forbes,

Thanks for the excellent explanation  given by you. The nuances of difference between using About and Some , have been explained very well. However , i could not understand why it is incorrect to use "Nearly". Please could you give an explanation on this. I felt that using "nearly" was correct because it is commonly used adverb in conversations here in India. Kindly could you add your comments to the same.

Thanks ,

Aster