The words for and since have a lot of meanings. But, many people get confused about the usage of for and since when time is considered. To make things easy to understand, the following are the correct examples that let you know the differences between for and since in terms of time.
Examples of 'for' and 'since' in past continuous tense:
I have been waiting for the train for the past 30 minutes.
I have been waiting for the train since 30 minutes ago.
Imagine that today is Wednesday and read the following examples of for and since.
I have been working here since Monday.
I have been working here for the past 3 days.
From the above examples, it is clear than 'for' is used to mention the entire time or no. of days spent on a task and 'since' is used to indicate the exact time or day when the task started initially.
Practical example: To make you not forget the difference between since and for, remember this. 'For' is like the duration of a movie and 'since' is like the time when the movie started.
Note: I used past continuous tense for examples, because 'for' and 'since' are mostly used for past continuous tenses. The exception is past tense which just uses the word 'for'. Avoid using 'since' in past tense as it makes the sentences more complicated.
Examples of 'for' in past tense:
I waited for 3 hours in the queue to buy a movie ticket.
I waited for 30 minutes before the train arrived.
Feel free to post your comments or queries.
Examples of 'for' and 'since' in past continuous tense:
I have been waiting for the train for the past 30 minutes.
I have been waiting for the train since 30 minutes ago.
Imagine that today is Wednesday and read the following examples of for and since.
I have been working here since Monday.
I have been working here for the past 3 days.
From the above examples, it is clear than 'for' is used to mention the entire time or no. of days spent on a task and 'since' is used to indicate the exact time or day when the task started initially.
Practical example: To make you not forget the difference between since and for, remember this. 'For' is like the duration of a movie and 'since' is like the time when the movie started.
Note: I used past continuous tense for examples, because 'for' and 'since' are mostly used for past continuous tenses. The exception is past tense which just uses the word 'for'. Avoid using 'since' in past tense as it makes the sentences more complicated.
Examples of 'for' in past tense:
I waited for 3 hours in the queue to buy a movie ticket.
I waited for 30 minutes before the train arrived.
Feel free to post your comments or queries.
Good work dude.. Keep going
ReplyDeleteThanks Srini! I hope you find the post simple and useful.
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