This complete guide gives you a detail look at differences and examples of Since and for, and how they are used to avoid confusion.
The words can prove to be confusing for many native and non-native English speakers.
Knowing the correct and right context to use the words ‘for’ or ‘since’ is an important thing to know when speaking using the right time prepositions.
The two words ‘for and ‘since’ both refer to a period of time but they each have a different meaning.
The word ‘for’ is used to describe a specific amount of time.
The word ‘since‘ is used to describe a period of time before another event took place.
When to use Since in Sentences
Since is a word used to describe something that has happened in the past. It is also used to describe an event that happened after another event. Let’s have a look at some examples to understand this.
- Jack hadn’t been to the hospital since he had broken his elbow.
- I have been waiting since twelve o’clock.
- I haven’t eaten since last night.
- It’s been a while since I saw that movie
- I haven’t visited Cape Town since last year.
When to use For in Sentences
The word ‘for’ is used to measure a time period leading up to the current time. Let us have a look at examples to see how it is used.
- I have known her for five years.
- How long have you been here for?
- I have been waiting for too long.
- I have been a surgeon for ten years.
- She studied for one hour.
- I haven’t been there for a long time.
These two words can be used in the same context, except they must be worded differently. For example:
| For | Since |
| I haven’t seen him for four years. | They haven’t seen him since four years ago. |
| We have been doing this for 7 days. | I have been doing this since I started 7 days ago. |
| I haven’t seen a doctor for a long time. | It’s been a long time since I have seen a doctor. |
It should be noted that the word ‘for’ is not always used to describe past time, it can also be used to refer to present and future tenses. While we can use ‘for’ in a past and present tense; the word ‘since’ can only be used in a past tense.
For example:
- I have something for you.
- This is working for me.
- I do not want it for that.
- I am going to wait for you.