For or During?

Category: Grammar

Date: 07.02.2024

Average rating: 5.0 (1 vote)

Let's break it down further with more examples to clarify the difference between "for" and "during":

For:
- "For" indicates the duration of an action or state.
- It's used when you want to talk about how long something lasts or continues.
- Examples:
  - "I slept for eight hours." (This means the action of sleeping lasted for eight hours.)
  - "She has been living in New York for five years." (This means the state of living in New York has lasted for five years.)
During:
- "During" specifies when something happens within a particular period of time or event.
- It's used when you want to describe an action that occurs at some point within a specific time frame or event.
- Examples:
  - "I watched a movie during the flight." (This means the action of watching the movie happened at some point while the flight was occurring.)
  - "She fell asleep during the lecture." (This means the action of falling asleep occurred at some point while the lecture was happening.)

Here's a comparison to help clarify further:

For is about duration or how long something lasts.
- "I studied for two hours." (Duration of studying)
- "She has been living in New York for five years." (Duration of living in New York)
During is about when something happens within a specific time frame or event.
- "I read a book during my lunch break." (Action of reading happened within the lunch break)
- "She fell asleep during the lecture." (Action of falling asleep happened within the lecture)

In essence:

For tells us how long something lasts.
During tells us when something happens within that time.LOOK;

She phoned me during the week to tell me that she was getting married.(referring to a point in the week)

We were in the cinema for three and a half hours.

Not: … ~~during three and a half hours.~~

Our flight to New York was delayed for seven hours.

Not: … ~~during seven hours.~~

We went to Italy for a week.

Not: … ~~during a week.~~

We can also use for to refer to public holidays and seasons:

He always goes to his mother’s house for New Year.

Not: … ~~during New Year.~~

------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check yourselves: Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with "for" or "during" as appropriate:
1. She studied __________ two hours every day to prepare for the exam.
2. I usually go jogging __________ the morning to start my day.
3. We waited patiently __________ 3 hours outside.
4. He's been working as a teacher __________ five years now.
5. They went on vacation to Europe __________ two weeks.
Exercise 2: Choose the correct preposition to complete each sentence:
1. We went swimming _______ the summer.
  - a) for
  - b) during
2. She practiced piano _______ two hours every evening.
  - a) for
  - b) during
3. They visited their grandparents _______ the school holidays.
  - a) for
  - b) during
4. He's been living in London _______ ten years.
  - a) for
  - b) during
5. The party lasted _______ six hours.
  - a) for
  - b) during---------------------------------------------------------KEYS
Here are the keys for the exercises: Exercise 1:
1. for
2. during
3. for
4. for
5. for
Exercise 2:
1. b) during
2. a) for
3. b) during
4. a) for
5. a) for

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For or During?

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