Preposition for, since, yet

Preposition for, since, yet
Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs). Prepositions are essential to sentences because they provide additional and necessary details. In this lesson, we will explore the definition and roles of the preposition. Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have several translations depending on the situation. There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).
The Role of a Preposition
A preposition precedes a noun (or a pronoun) to show the noun's (or the pronoun's) relationship to another word in the sentence. In the examples above, the preposition preceded the noun wizard to show that noun's relationship with the noun book.
Here are some more examples:
- It is a container for butter.
- (The preposition for shows the relationship between butter and container.)
-The eagle soared above the clouds.
-(The preposition above shows the relationship between clouds and soared.)
-He is the President of the United States.
-(The preposition of shows the relationship between the United States and President.)
Prepositions of time –during, for and since
During is used to say when something happens; for is used to say how long it lasts.
-I was in France during the summer.
-I was in France for two months. (NOT I was in France during two months.)
- It rained during the night for two hours.
-I had a strange experience during my vacation.
-I stayed with them for three weeks.
Many important questions arose during the discussion.
Both during and in can be used to say that something happens inside a particular period of time.
We will be on holiday during the summer. OR We will be on holiday in the summer.
-I woke up during the night. OR I woke up in the night.
-When we are talking about the whole of the period we use during, not in.
Since
Use since to reckon from a particular point of time.
It has been raining since morning.
We have been living here since 2004.
Note that in sentences with since, we normally use present perfect and past perfect tenses in the main clause.
Now that you have learned the use of since, for, during and in, try the following quiz to test your understanding.


1. I haven’t seen him ……………….. years. (for / since / during)


2. The shop will be closed …………………. the whole of June. (since / during / in)


3. I met an old friend of mine ………………… my stay in London. (during / since / for)


4. He has been absent …………………. Tuesday. (since / for / during)


Answers


1. For, 2. During, 3. During, 4. Since