What preposition do we use for duration? till or for? e.g.
They will live in there for hundreds of years.
OR
They will live in there till hundreds of years.
asked May 24, 2018 at 7:37
-
The meanings are different. For a period of time, or till (until) a particular date or happening.– Kate BuntingMay 24, 2018 at 7:55
-
Since until mentions a specific time, you need some other phrase to indicate duration. The second example could be "They will live in there until hundreds of years have passed."– user3169May 24, 2018 at 21:08
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
till uses a definite time to process the termination (Preposition, 1), e.g.
they lived there till 1890.
for describes a duration (Preposition, 5), e.g.
they lived there for a hundred years
-
Till is also used for actions/processes in time. Till the oven was hot. Till he passed away. Till they had crossed the sea. May 24, 2018 at 10:37
-
@RonaldSole; your examples all use the idea of an event precipitating the end of a process, rather than a pre-defined duration (in theory anyway! - an oven set to 180C takes x minutes to get there I suppose)– JMPMay 24, 2018 at 10:41
-
like repeat...until versus a 'for' loop in computer control structures @RonaldSole– JMPMay 24, 2018 at 10:49
-
Agreed. My examples were intended only to complement your answer. May 24, 2018 at 11:02