For vs Since - Hard Exercises
B2 Level
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The rule also works with past perfect. "They had waited for three hours" gives duration before a past moment. "They had not spoken since the argument" gives the starting event before that past moment. Formal writing often compresses a starting event into a noun phrase, such as since her appointment or since assuming office. Decide whether the phrase measures a stretch of time or identifies the point where the situation began. That distinction also helps with academic, legal, and news-style sentences.
Quick Rule
subject + have/has/had + past participle + for + measured or approximate duration | subject + have/has/had + past participle + since + starting point, event, noun phrase, or clause
- 1.The charity has supported families for much of its history.
- 2.They had not spoken since the argument.
- 3.Applications have increased since the policy changed.
- 4.Marta worked abroad for the best part of a decade.
- 5.No one had used the room since her appointment.
All 20 questions
Complete each sentence with 'for' or 'since'.
Temperatures in the region have not been this high _____ records began.
The project has been running _____ the best part of three years without a major setback.
The new director has held the role _____ just under six months, and the results are already visible.
The infrastructure in that area has been neglected _____ the best part of a decade.
Relations between the two departments have been strained _____ the restructuring last year.
He has been working in disaster relief _____ much of his adult life.
Confidence in the local health system has been slowly rebuilding _____ the new director took over.
The two neighbours had not exchanged a word _____ the argument over the boundary fence.
The company had been operating at a loss _____ almost eighteen months before it finally closed.
She had been living abroad _____ the end of her studies, so the city felt unfamiliar when she returned.
He had not set foot in the building _____ years, yet it looked exactly the same.
Production at the facility had been suspended _____ the safety inspection revealed serious problems.
The legal dispute has dragged on _____ well over two years, with no resolution in sight.
The artist has not released any new work _____ announcing her retirement from public life.
This has been the company's approach _____ as long as anyone can remember.
Conditions at the shelter have been deteriorating _____ funding was cut six months ago.
She has, _____ the outset of her career, been known for her precise and careful work.
The region had been self-sufficient in food production _____ generations before the long drought began.
The policy has been reviewed only twice _____ it was first introduced.
He had reportedly been under significant pressure _____ a prolonged period before he finally resigned.
Continue Practising
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