DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "FOR" AND "DURING" IN ENGLISH

Difference between for and during in English

The difference between for and during is pretty confusing for many learners of English. However, despite semantic similarity, they are used in a different way. The problem seems to be that in other languages, like in Spanish, these two words (for and during) are translated as a same word. In the case of Spanish for and during are translated as durante, which unfortunately for learners is pretty similar to during.

The use of for in English

The word for is a preposition which is usually followed by “a/an” or a number, plus a unit of time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc.). This preposition is used to express the duration of something:

I have lived in Granada for 10 years.

We have known each other for a couple of months.

The film lasted for 2 hours.

If we pay close attention, the preposition for answers always the question “How long…?”:

How long have you lived in Granada? (For) 10 years.

How long have you known each other? (For) a couple of months.

How long did the film last for? It lasted for 2 hours.

In this way, it is relatively easy to identify when to use for.

The use of during in English

During is another English preposition which tells us when something happens in time. Besides, it is usually followed by a noun which is not necessarily a time unit. 

Let’s see some examples:

We couldn’t get any cigarettes during the war.

He died during the night.

All the hotels are full during the summer season.

In the same way as for, during also answers a question, but not “How long…?”, but rather “When…?”:

When couldn’t you get any cigarettes? During the war.

When did he die? During the night.

When are all the hotels full? During the summer season.

In conclusion, according to the previous examples, the difference between for and during is that for tells us how long an action is, while during tells us when something happened. For this reason, if you ever need to know which one to use, you can ask yourself: Do I need to answer “How long…?” or “When…?”. It’s that simple!

SOURCE: keepsmilingenglish.com

REVISION ON PREPOSITIONS: PLACE AND DIRECTION + TIME

COMMON SOURCE: www.grammarcheck.net

"BY" OR "WITH"?

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ENGLISH IS FUN! PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE GAME

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DIFFERENCES: IN, INTO, INSIDE, WITHIN

In and Inside

In and inside are the same in many cases. You can say:

§  We are in the house.
= We are inside the house.

§  The clothes are in the closet.
= The clothes are inside the closet.

The word inside implies that the thing is physically enclosed – it is in a container (a box, a vehicle, a building with walls, etc.)

This means that when talking about location, time, being included, or other situations where you are not physically surrounded, you should use in, not inside:

§  I live in Australia.

§  My birthday is in July.

§  He plays guitar in a band.

Into

The word into implies movement or transformation:

§  She jumped into the swimming pool.

§  We went into the house.

§  The car crashed into a telephone pole.

§  The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.

With the verbs put, throw, drop, and fall, you can use either into or in:

§  He put the card into/in his pocket.

§  I threw the paper cup into/in the trash.

§  She lost her balance and fell into/in the river.

Within

The word within means “inside the limits” – and in this case the limits are non-physical. They can be limits of time or distance, or an area of understanding:

§  The results will be delivered within fourteen days.

§  Most car accidents occur within five miles of home.

We also have some expressions using within:

§  within earshot = at a distance where you are able to hear something (such as a conversation)

§  within reason = to the degree that good judgment would allow

§  within reach / within one’s grasp = able to be taken with your hand, or able to be accomplished

You can also use within to describe a person’s inner feelings (in this case, you can also use “inside”):

§  He tried to hide the anger burning within/inside him.

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PREPOSITIONS AFTER ADJECTIVES: MAIN EXAMPLES

addicted to -- She is addicted to watching TV.

afraid of -- She is afraid of speaking in public.

anxious about -- Norma is anxious about making the presentation.

bad at -- I’m terribly bad at English.

bad with – Richard is so bad with the drums!

bored of -- I am bored of doing the same old job.

capable of -- He is capable of winning a gold medal.

committed to -- She is committed to improving her English.

concerned about -- Nancy was concerned about being late.

dedicated to -- The organization is dedicated to ending poverty.

different from -- He is different from any other men I met before, he’s special (comparison with another person/element).

different to -- Life is different to me since I started my new diet (what i'ts unique to someone/something).

disappointed with -- Fiona was really disappointed with failing the exam.

excited about -- The researcher was excited about going to Africa.

famous for -- That actor is famous for being extremely weird.

full of – The concert area was full of policemen.

frightened of -- She is frightened of being alone at night.

good at -- Sarah is really good at Math.

good with -- Michael is very good with cars.

guilty of -- The banker was guilty of stealing money.

happy about (+ verb, a fact) -- He was happy about winning the lottery.

happy with (+ noun) -- She was so happy with her new car!

interested in -- She is interested in becoming a doctor.

involved in -- He was involved in making the movie.

known for -- She was known for causing problems.

married to -- She is married to a wonderful man.

nice to -- She should be nicer to her husband.

opposed to -- They are opposed to building a new road in the park.

pleased with -- I am very pleased with the restoration of my new house.

proud of -- He was proud of having completed the marathon.

remembered for -- She is remembered for protecting mountain gorillas.

responsible for -- He is responsible for causing the damage.

scared of -- Tina is scared of being alone at night.

terrified of -- The surfer is terrified of being attacked by a shark.

tired from -- She is tired from working all day (just at a specific moment).

tired of -- Margaret is tired of making dinner every night (permament/repeated situation).

similar to -- This dress is quite similar to the one I bought for my wedding.

worried about -- The hikers were worried about not having enough water.

NOW PRACTICE:

Put in the correct preposition:

1. England is famous ________ its rainy weather.

2. I'm very proud ________ my daughter, she worked very hard.

3. He isn't really interested ________ getting married.

4. Luke is very pleased ________ his exam results.

5. Unfortunately, I'm very bad ________ music, however, I’m quite good________ bikes.

6. I've been married ________ my husband for 10 years.

7. She's very excited ________ the party.

8. Julie is very different ________ her sister.

9. My niece is afraid ________ dogs.

10. A ball gown is similar ________ an evening dress.

11. What is your town famous ________?

12. It's great you got that job - you should be proud ________ yourself.

13. I'm very excited ________ buying a new computer.

14. That bike is similar ________ yours.

15. She is interested ________ jazz.

16. Are you pleased ________ your new house?

17. Lucy is extremely good ________ languages.

18. Who is James married ________?

19. English cheese is very different ________ French cheese.

20. He isn't scared ________ anything.

PREPOSITIONS IN, ON, AT (TIME AND PLACE): A CLARIFYING VIEW

ENCONTRADO EN: interactiveESL

UNDERSTANDING USES OF PREPOSITIONS IN / ON / AT (PART II)

·         at for a precise time

·         in for months, years, centuries, long periods

·         on for days and dates

*On is frequently omitted before the expressions Thuesday morning, Thuesday afternoon, etc.

·         I saw her on Xmas day.

·         He started work on Monday.

*In some varieties of English people say on the weekend and on Christmas.

·         She often goes out at night.

·         I have a meeting at 10am.

·         I don't usually work at the weekend.

·         I stay with my family at Christmas.

·         We finished the test at the same time.

Idioms

1.     at a time: He went down the steps two at a time.

2.     at last: At last, they found the answer to the question.

3.     at times: At times, she enjoys a good historical novel.

4.     in case of: In case of rain, the people will stay at home.

5.     in the beginning In the beginning, they didn't understand English.

6.     in the end: In the end, the two policemen caught the thief.

7.      in time for: I came in time for the second half of the movie.

8.     on occasion: On occasion, I enjoy a good television program.

9.     on time: He almost always gets to work on time.

10.on the spur of the moment: We decided on the spur of the moment.

PREPOSITIONS: PART II

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A PREPOSITION PRACTICE EXERCISE: THANKSGIVING DIRECTIONS

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PREPOSITIONS: USE AND COMMON MISTAKES

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COMMON VERBS, ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS AND PREPOSITIONS

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HERE IS ANOTHER LIST OF THE MOST COMMON ADJECTIVES:

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