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FOR vs. SINCE

13 / 06 / 2012

FOR vs. SINCE: meaning and examples

Good morning,

Today we look at the difference between two commonly confused words, FOR and SINCE.

Meaning of FOR: to refer to a period of time (a minute, an hour, part of a day, a day, a week, a month, a year, etc.)

Meaning of SINCE: to refer to a specific moment in the past when an action began, and which continues until the present.

Example 1:
I have only been renting this flat for two months.
I have only been renting this flat since April.

Example 2:
He's been talking on the phone for half an hour.
He's been talking on the phone since half past two.

Example 3:
They've had that car since their first child was born.
They've had that car for eight years.

Example 4:
We've been writing Daily Vitamins for nine years!
We've been writing Daily Vitamins since 2003!

Can you see how the time reference changes depending on whether we use for or since? Once again, for is used to show the period of time and since refers to the starting point of the time period.

Have a great day!