AEE 2376: How to Pick the Preposition: During, Since, or For? preposition 介词 前置词 1. For: indicates the duration of time that sth last or how long it happens or has been happened. ( For + specific duration of time ) eg, She's been learning English for 10 years. She's had that job for 6 months. We have been friends for ages. 2. Since: refers to the starting point of an actions that continues up to the present moment. ( Since + specific time / day/ date/ year) eg, We have been trying to figure this out since 2am, It's been all night. He has called me since Thursday. I haven't gone on a hike since March 4th. They have known each other since 2004. 3. During: specify when sth happens within a time or event. eg, She got a phone call during class. During our vacation, we visited as many musicians as possible. ( During + a new named event ) we can't use present simple and just chose for/ since/ during and expected to be correct, these are often going to be past tense过去式/ past perfect过去完成时/ past perfect progressive过去完成进行时 depending on the meaning of the sentence. Role play Hey there, welcome to the neighborhood. Thank you. When did you move in ? We have been here for about a month, we didn't want to move during the school years, so we waited until summer break 暑假. Smart, well we are so excited to meet you, where did you move from? Chicago, we had lived there since 2002. Oh so It had been a while since you move. Yep, we had not move for over 20 years.