MULTIMEDIA-ENGLISH

Before doing this activity you may need to read the text you will find at the end


  Drag&Drop
SINCE / FOR / FROM
Focus Grammar
Description Difference between FOR, SINCE and FROM to talk about time.
Instructions Click on the words at the bottom and drag them into the empty boxes of the sentence to complete it.
 
Gapped text Items
I haven't seen you ______________________ last Christmas. Where have you been? from / since / for
The bridge had been closed ______________________ one hour, but when we arrived there it was open. from / since / for
We have lived here ______________________ 2005 for / since / --
This shop has been open ______________________ last May since / -- / for
It's been raining ______________________ 3 o'clock since / -- / for
Wait ______________________ a minute, I'll be right back. -- / from / since
It's been raining ______________________ weeks since / from / for
This car has been having problems ______________________ we bought it from / since / for
This car has been having problems ______________________ a few months, it's time to buy a new one. for / since / from
This shop has been open ______________________ two years now from / for / since
I've known her ______________________ my birthday -- / since / for
Mike will come to live here ______________________ next Saturday since / for / from
This school will be closed ______________________ June 28th. Then we will open again in September. from / for / since
She had been looking for him ______________________ the day before, but she didn't find him until she put that message on the radio. since / for / from
I haven't seen you ______________________ years! from / for / since
I was at home ______________________ 5 to 7, then went away until 10 for / since / from
The shops are open ______________________ 9 to 3 -- / for / since / from
When you arrived, she had been crying ______________________ hours from / since / for
You will have your own office ______________________ next month since / for / from
I have known her only ______________________ three days from / since / for
Total number of items: 20
This is an activity from Multimedia-English www.multimedia-english.com
 

FOR + period expresses duration (HOW LONG?)
SINCE + starting point says when the action began (SINCE WHEN?)
 
1- I've known her for three days (for how long? for three days)
2- I've known her since last summer (since when? since last summer)

Compare:
- Now it's April, so I've been living here for three months
- Now it's April, so I've been living here since February


We can use FOR with any tense, but when we express duration from the past up to the present (past and present action) we use FOR with a present perfect, not a present tense. FOR with a present tense expresses duration from the present up to the future.

- Mike is here for two weeks (= He will be here for two more weeks starting today)
- We'll go to Rome for three days
- I've lived here for three years  (not: I live here for three years)
- She's been studying for five hours, tell her to have a break

In informal conversation we often leave out FOR

- I've been waiting for you (for) two hours!
- She has worked only (for) three hours today


SINCE is usually used with present perfect but it can also be used with any past tense depending on the situation. It expresses that the action began at that moment and continued up to the present (or the past time we are talking about):

- We have been married since 1998  (since 1998 until now)
- They bought the car last month. They had been comparing prices since Tom's birthday.  (since Tom's birthday until they bought the car)
- I've been waiting for you since 7 o'clock!   (since 7 until now)
- Josh worked there since last summer, but now he works here with us  (since last summer until he came to work with us)

For other situations (present or future) we prefer FROM

- The shops will be open from 8 o'clock in the morning
- I work from 8 to 4
- Our new company will start operating from September 10th