English Grammar: Since Usage

Usage of "Since" and "For"

• "Since" indicates a specific point in time when an action or event started.
• "For" refers to the duration of time that has passed up to the present.

Examples of "Since"

• "I haven't seen him since he was young" – emphasizes the starting point of the absence.
• "I haven't seen Ali since 2015" – uses a specific year as the reference point.
• "It's 2 weeks since I met Rania" – combines present perfect with a specific duration.

Examples of "For"

• "I haven't seen Mona for a year" – indicates the duration, without specifying when it started.
• "I haven't met Rania for 2 weeks" – similarly highlights a period of time.

Transformations and Structures

• Past perfect negative can be converted to simple past affirmative + "since" + time duration.
• "I last met Ramy when I was in Cairo" can be rephrased as "I haven't met Ramy since I was in Cairo."

Structure Combinations

• Simple past + "when" can be used interchangeably with "since."
• "The last time I saw Nora was when I was in Cairo" can be rearranged to "I haven't seen Nora since I was in Cairo."

Time Expressions

• "Last" or "the last time" indicates when something happened in the past.
• "I last saw my friend in 2012" can be restated as "I haven't seen my friend since 2012."

Additional Usage Structures

• "Started" or "began to" can be linked to an action with "in" or "ago."
• "I started to work here in 2015" implies the beginning of an ongoing action or status.

Summary of Perfective and Simple Past Tenses

• Perfect tenses express ongoing relevance or time linked to the present, while simple past indicates completed actions.
• Using "since" specifies the starting point of a continuing action, while "for" measures the length of time.

This quiz focuses on the correct usage of 'since' in English sentences. It explores various contexts, including time expressions and the transformation of verb tenses. Test your knowledge on how to effectively apply 'since' in your writing.