English has evolved over time. But, we are still confused about the two most important propositions associated with time. Having a conversation in English feels great but skipping the correct usage of prepositions is bad. Become a Pro with English Classes!
Here we are discussing two very puzzling prepositions of time. They are, ‘Since’ and ‘For’. They are usually used interchangeably in daily conversations, but the English language doesn’t favor it. Let’s discuss their usage and apply them correctly;
- Since: It is used when a particular time, date, month or year needs to be mentioned. Let’s take an example; many shops/stores mention the year in which they initiated their work, like ‘since 1984’. Here a particular and exact year has been mentioned so the use of preposition ‘since’ is correct. Another example could be, “I am studying English since January”, and here an exact month has been mentioned.
- For: It is used when an exact time period is not known and the person only has a vague idea about the time period. For Example; you can say that “I have been searching for an English teacher for a long time”. Other examples could be, “I have watched YouTube for 2 hours” (Any amount of time could be mentioned using For).
Thus, both the prepositions are used for Time but they are used for two different situations. ‘Since’ refers to the past while ‘For’ refers to past, present, and future.
Interesting Fact- ‘Since’ and ‘For’ are also used to speak of things that are not related to time.
Spot it yourself: Spot the usage of “For” in the above blog where it doesn’t speak of time.
ELOQUENCE LANGUAGE 