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Ask for help > In vs during
In vs during
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chenchen_castrourdiales
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In vs during
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Good afternoon everybody,
Once again I beg for your always useful help. Last evening during my adults class one student rose a question for which I had no answer. It was a fill the gap exercise and the given sentence was the following one: "__________ the past 58 years it has been part of daily life for millions of commuters."(It refers to a bridge). the key gives as possible answers the words "over", "for" and "during". Can we use "In"? One workmate of mine has told me today that "during" goes with the past simple tense while "in" is used with the present perfect tense. According to her: "I have been ill in the last few months"; "I was ill during the last few months". I completely disagree with her and on top of that, i have never ever either heard or read about this rule.
On the other hand, is this expression correct? "The sun shines most days of the year and even in the months of winter the days are warm and inviting." It sounds Spanglish to me. Instead, I would say during winter time.
Thanks in advance. |
17 May 2011
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spinney
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The answer is "over" for the gap fill exercise although "during" is possible. Your friend may have confused the rules for something else as those sentences are plain wrong. "For" would be the most correct word to use. The last sentence is OK but it could be said to be "written" English or formal "spoken" English - such as a lecture or documentary. But I �m probably just being picky. |
17 May 2011
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dawnmain
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For and over refer to a period of time, tells you how long.
During and in tell you when.
I worked in a bar for six weeks, in/during the summer.
Umemployment has risen over the last few years.
To me the answer is �for �.
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17 May 2011
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Apodo
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This is the way I would say it:
For the past 58 years it has been....
"I have been ill over the last few months" (But I �m better or nearly better now)
"I have been ill for the last few months". (I am still not better)
I have been ill on and off during the last few months. (on and off = not continuously)
The sun shines on most days of the year even during the winter.
The sun shines on most days of the year even in winter time.
There is sunshine on most days of the year even during the winter months.
We use the number of sunshine hours per year when describing a climate. |
18 May 2011
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