Difference Between For and Since

For vs Since

A clear understanding on the difference between for and since in English grammar is necessary to avoid using them wrongly in sentence making. Both, for and since, are used asprepositionsandconjunctions. However, one should remember that for and since are two words in English language that have to be understood with difference. The word for is used in the sense of ‘in favour of’ or ‘to’ or ‘up to’. On the other hand, the word since is used in the sense of ‘because’ or ‘as’. This is the main difference between the two words. Another fact to be noted about since is that sometimes since is also used as anadverb. This article will give you a clear idea about the difference between for and since.

What does For mean?

The word for is used in the sense of ‘in favour of’ or ‘to’ or ‘up to.’ Observe the two sentences given below:

He did everything possible for her.

She lived for 60 years.

在这两个句子,你能发现这个词for is used in the sense ‘to’ or ‘in favor of’ and hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘he did everything possible in favor of her’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘she lived up to 60 years’.

What does Since mean?

The word since is used in the sense of ‘because’ or ‘as.’ Observe the two sentences:

I came late since I missed the bus.

She helped him since he was poor.

You can find that in both the sentences the word since is used in the sense of ‘because’ or ‘as’ and hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘I came late because I missed the bus’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘she helped him as he was poor’. It is interesting to note that the word since is sometimes used in the sense of ‘from’ as in the sentences given below:

He is sick since morning.

He has been reciting prayers since his childhood.

In both the sentences, you can see that the word since is used in the sense of ‘from’ and hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘he is sick from morning’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘he has been reciting prayers from his childhood’. From these sentences, you should pay special attention to the second sentence. Look at the tense used in the sentence. The verb construction is has+ been + verb + ing, which means this is thepresent perfect continuoustense. Since is used very much with the present perfect continuous as a preposition.

What is the difference between For and Since?

• The word for is used in the sense of ‘in favour of’ or ‘to’ or ‘up to’.

• On the other hand, the word since is used in the sense of ‘because’ or ‘as’. This is the main difference between the two words.

• The word since is sometimes used in the sense of ‘from.’

• Since is used with the present perfect continuous tense.

These are the differences between the two words, namely, since and for.