TIME? FOR? SINCE or DURING?

again and again are concerned, the uses of FOR, SINCE and DURING have

once again been imposed on me recently. A few very Advanced Members have

quite unwillingly forced me to think the work had to be done once again... - a harsh

reality in the routine of teachers condemned to explain and repeat angain, repeat

again endlessly... 

So, there we go again! If you have real lacks of knowledge about this point, I will

first suggest you revise several lessons where the different uses of FOR, SINCE and

DURING will be explained more thoroughly: [117860 - 103655 - 108706- 108718] 

Then, a reminder should be enough for the most advanced (but scatterbrained)

Members for whom this test was conceived.  

1) FOR indicates a length of time. It answers the question 'How long ?'.

On a line representing the passing of time, 'for' would correspond to a segment.

It is followed by a noun.  

- 'How long has he been in Europe?'  'For a month'.

--------------------------|-----------> for a month. 

                                     a month

The subject arrived there a month ago, and is still there...

- Other uses are possible (see the lessons indicated above. ) 

-------|------------------|-----------> for 2 years.

He lived there 2 years ago and left. (+ V in the preterite) 

( FOR may have a link with the present, or not. )

2) SINCE is used to indicate the starting point of an action or to indicate a precise date.

It's a point on the axis of Time.    

---------X-----------------------X--------------------------> since 1975

        1975                   May 4th                      since May the fourth. 

- Since when have you known Jim? Since his arrival at JFK last Tuesday . 

3) DURING: indicates the moment when an action is taking place. It answers the question WHEN ?

It corresponds to a point on the axis of time. It's followed by a noun.  

- 'When did the teacher give this exercise ?' 'During the lesson, on Friday !' 

---------X

Those were the 'systematic' constructions of Time, using FOR, SINCE, or DURING.  I used to play this 'game',

very quickly, orally, with my students of 'Seconde'. Their answers had to be very fast, like reflexes : for a year/ since

January 2nd... Then when we studied the corresponding tenses, they came very easily... 

I hope you'll get the same success!  

Beginners Twitter Share
English exercise "TIME? FOR? SINCE or DURING?" created by here4u with The test builder. [More lessons & exercises from here4u]
Click here to see the current stats of this English test

Please log in to save your progress.

1. ' DuringSinceForI don't know the last two years.'


2. ' ForSinceDuringI don't know 1975.'


3. ' SinceDuringForI don't know school time, I study hard.'


4. 'DuringSinceForI don't know three months'


5. 'We 've been climbing during've been climbing since've been climbing forclimb duringI don't know an hour and a half.'


6. 'ForDuringSinceI don't know seven hours.'


7. 'ForDuringSinceI don't know last January.'


8. ' SinceDuringForI don't know seven o'clock.'


9. 'DuringForSinceI don't know two years'.


10. 'Simon didn't wash his hands duringwashn't his hands sincehasn't washed his hands forI don't know a long time now... '


11. 'SinceForDuringI don't know five o'clock.'


12. I' 've worked for'm working during've been working sinceI don't know the beginning of the afternoon, and I have a headache.'


13. '... duringsinceforI don't know yesterday?'


14. '...duringforsinceI don't know centuries.' pendant des siècles'.


15. ' A holiday? Poor Henry don't have duringhasn't had one sincedidn't have one forI don't know the year before last. He really needs a rest'.