The prepositions FOR and
SINCE
for
“for” + period of time
“for” defines a period of time in the past, present or future.
“for” describes a duration.
“for” means “From the start of the period to the end of the
period.”
We use “for” with all tenses.
Examples:
He has been living in London for several months (present
perfect continuous)
Jane has worked here for 10 years. (present perfect)
We will visit Spain for 2 weeks. (future simple)
Mark lived in London for 6 months. (past simple)
Today, the students are reading for 30 minutes. (present
continuous)
He reads for 2 hours every day. (present simple)
I had studied French for 5 years. (past perfect)
The form is always “for” + period of time
Examples of possible periods of time are as follows:
for 10 seconds
for 20 minutes
for half an hour
for 3 hours
for a week
for a fortnight (2 weeks)
for 3 weeks
for 2 months
for 3 years
for a decade (10 years)
for a century (100 years)
since
“since” + point in time from the past
“since” defines a point in time in the past.
“since” means “From a point in the past until now.”
“since” gives the starting point. It defines when things
started.
We usually use “since” with the perfect tenses:
Examples:
He has been watching TV since 7 pm. (present perfect
continuous)
Mark had been writing a book since 2018. (past perfect
continuous)
My parents have lived in London since 1996. (present
perfect)
She had been asleep since the day before. (past perfect)
The form is always “since” + point in time
Here are some possible examples:
since 8 o’clock
since 9 am
since 10 pm
since midday
since midnight
since this morning
since this afternoon
since yesterday
since the day before yesterday
since Monday
since last Tuesday
since last week
since last month
since last year
since last summer
since 5 minutes ago
since 2 days ago
since 3 weeks ago
since a few years ago
since 2010
We can also “since” with a clause to refer to a point in the
past. The tense of the clause is usually in the past simple.
Examples:
since I moved to London
since I left university
since I became a teacher
- since - if the starting point is given (two o'clock, last Friday, 1998)
- for - if the period of time is given (twenty minutes, two days, one year)
Decide whether to use »since« or »for«.
1. I have been waiting………SINCE ……….. 4 o'clock.
2. Sue has only been waiting ……FOR …………. 20 minutes.
3. Tim and Tina have been learning English………FOR ……. six years.
4. Fred and Frida have been learning French……SINCE ……… 1998.
5. Joe and Josephine have been going out together……SINCE ………. Valentine's
Day.
6. Joe and Josephine went out for Valentine's Day.
7.
8.
9. I haven't been on holiday SINCE ………… last July.
10. Mary has been saving her money ……FOR ……….. many years.
11. I haven't eaten anything………SINCE / FOR ……. breakfast.
12. You have been watching TV ……FOR ……… hours.
13. We have been living here………FOR ….. 2 months.
Answers
1. have been waiting since 4 o'clock.
2. Sue has only been waiting for 20 minutes.
3. Tim and Tina have been learning English for six years.
4. Fred and Frida have been learning French since 1998.
5. Joe and Josephine have been going out together since Valentine's Day.
6. I haven't been on holiday since last July.
7. Mary has been saving her money for many years.
8. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.
9. You have been watching TV for hours.
10. We have been living here for 2 months
The prepositions during, and while are often used with time time expressions. Let's
take a look at the difference in usage between during, and while.
How to use during
during is a preposition which is used before a noun (during + noun) to say when
something happens. It does not tell us how long it happened. For example:
"Nobody spoke during the presentation."
"We get plenty of snow here during the winter."
How to use while
When is used to talk about two things that are happening at the same time. The length of
time is not important. Remember that while is used with a subject and a verb (while +
subject + verb). For example:
"The phone rang while I was watching TV."
"I met him while we were studying in the library."
Excercise
Fill in the blanks with while,for,
during
I've been meaning to call you ___ some time.
He fell asleep ___ the meeting.
We all stayed inside ___ the storm.
Someone stole my bag ___ I was riding on the train.
The dog was barking ___ she was trying to watch TV.
Please don't smoke ___ I'm eating.
Bats sleep ___ the day.
They've been out of the office ___ ages.
He kept talking to me ___ I was trying to read.
His mobile-phone rang twice ___ the film.
