Prepositions During and For

During and For

'During' and 'for' can be a little tricky. They both talk about time, but they're different. Here's how they work.

During

During tells us 'when'. It is followed by a noun.

1) During means: at one point or points between the beginning and end of a period of time or an event. We don't know exactly when.

• I woke up during the night (= at one point in the night).

• She's coming to see us during the holidays (= at one point between the start of the holidays and the end of the holidays).

• Let's meet up during your visit (= at one point between when you arrive and when you leave).

However, we don't use 'during' with every period of time. Usually we prefer:

• 'On Monday / Tuesday / etc', not 'during Monday'.

• 'In the morning, afternoon, evening', not 'during the morning'.

• 'In September, June, April', not 'during September'.

• I'll come and see you on Monday (= at one point on Monday).

• She went to bed so late that she woke up in the afternoon (= at some point in the afternoon).

• Let's meet up in September (= at one point between the beginning and the end of September).

2) During means: all through a period of time.

• I'm staying in London during the holidays (= I'm staying in London from the beginning of the holidays to the end of the holidays).

• She was quiet during the meeting (= she was quiet from the beginning of the meeting to the end of the meeting)

• The children go to bed early during the week (every night in the week - not the weekend - the children go to bed early).

For meaning 1, the verb is generally something that doesn't last as long as the whole time period. For example, 'wake up' is a short action, so 'I woke up during the night' probably means 'I woke up at one point during the night'.

For meaning 2, the verb is generally something that lasts for a period of time (like 'stay') or something that is repeated (like 'go to bed'). For example, 'I stayed in London during the holidays' probably means 'I stayed in London from the beginning of the holidays to the end of the holidays'. 

For

For tells us 'how long'. It's generally used with a number (or 'a') and a time word: four years, three months, six hours.

• I lived in Japan for a year.

• She slept for twelve hours.

• He's going to work in London for a month.

We DON'T use 'during' to say 'how long'.

• NOT: I lived in Japan during a year.

• NOT: She slept during twelve hours.

• NOT: He's going to work in London during a month. 

Let's review! Put in 'for' or 'during'.

1. I chatted to Lucy _____________ the party.

2. He went to Paris _____________ a week.

3. They heard a noise _____________ the night.

4. She's going to play tennis _____________ two hours.

5. We stayed at the seaside _____________ three days.

6. He drank coffee _____________ the meeting.

7. They went camping _____________ two weeks.

8. Can I take you out for dinner _____________ your visit to London?

9. I lived in Madrid _____________ three years.

10. She didn't do any work _____________ the summer holidays.

Answers

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