We were dancing a few hours. or We were dancing for a few hours

Question

Which one is correct and why? Or maybe both are correct?

We were dancing a few hours.

or

We were dancing for a few hours.

Answer 1

We were dancing for a few hours.

This version is grammatically correct: the preposition for is required to attach the additional information about how long you were dancing.

We were dancing a few hours

You may hear this version on its own in informal speech. It is more likely to be used when you want to explain when something happened, and want to emphasise the when rather than the how long: for example:

We were dancing a few hours before my ankle finally gave way

I was only gone five minutes