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6 votes

"Since/For weeks he had been waiting for the reply."

The explanation you found contains the answer. "Since" requires a starting point. "Weeks" identifies a duration, not its start. The following is correct: Since June he had been ...
Jeffrey Carney's user avatar
6 votes

Trouble between "for ..." and "for the ..."

Here's the relevant usage chart... ...where as you can see, the article-less form with for manufacture [of X] is far less common than either the straight noun for the manufacture [of X] OR the "...
FumbleFingers's user avatar
4 votes

How does "for" change the meaning of a sentence?

See something for yourself has a particular meaning; to convince yourself that it is real by seeing it with your own eyes. Without for, the sentence doesn't necessarily carry this meaning.
Kate Bunting's user avatar
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3 votes
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Using perfect forms for ''for''

1.- What if the action is finished? For example, what if I have already left London after spending 3 years there? You should say, "I lived in London for 3 years." 2.- If my plan is to stay ...
chasly - supports Monica's user avatar
3 votes

Using perfect forms for ''for''

We use for with a period of time, since with a starting date. (1) I lived in London for three years if you no longer live there. The past perfect is used when speaking of a time in the past when you ...
Kate Bunting's user avatar
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3 votes
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You do not use 'for' with past simple? Really?

You can use for with the past simple if the situation you are describing is entirely in the past and is no longer true. He worked at the same company for 10 years (from 1990 to 2000), but then he ...
athlonusm's user avatar
  • 1,954
3 votes
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With or without "for"?

You order something for someone or something. You don't order for something for someone or something in English. That doesn't sound idiomatic. For example: I ordered a cup of tea for you. I ...
Michael Rybkin's user avatar
2 votes

Substituting for

The second sentence is correct. Most verbs do something "to" the predicate. "To substitute" does something "on behalf of" the predicate. Whenever you are doing something on behalf of another person ...
JBH's user avatar
  • 3,859
2 votes

Can I use past continuous with 'for'?

Yes and no. Past continuous with "for" is okay. However, "b" is not correct. "B" is not correct because of "when". Did Jane's parents need 5 hours to arrive at home? No, so Jane's studying ...
Chris's user avatar
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2 votes
Accepted

Difference in the meaning between "Life has changed for all of us" and "Life has changed all of us"?

"Life has changed for all of us" means "Our life has changed." "Life has changed all of us" means, as you said, "Because of life, we are different from what we used to be."
Gustavson's user avatar
  • 4,146
2 votes
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"Let's call such terms for properties" or "Let's call such terms properties"

For X when used like this identifies a reason - i.e. "why?", but it won't answer "what?" for a verb's object/target. Let's call such terms for properties. This seems like you are saying you want ...
LawrenceC's user avatar
  • 37k
2 votes

so many means of "for" how to distinguish?

The phrase “jump for joy” pretty much means, “jump with joy,” although, as the commenter said, it often refers to figurative joy without literal jumping. The fans jumped for joy after their team ...
J.R.'s user avatar
  • 110k
2 votes

How is "for" used in "Having such a famous man for a father..." ?

Either of these two definitions of for at oxforddictionaries.com might help... 4 Having (the thing mentioned) as a purpose or function. ‘networks for the exchange of information’ ‘the ...
FumbleFingers's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

What alternatives could better be used instead of "since five years ago"?

To be honest, the entire sentence feels odd. I believe your source mentions this in the footnotes, but on top of their explanation, I think it sounds awkward to use "plan" for a repetitive event. ...
Andrew's user avatar
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2 votes
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For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son?

In "He foreknew" and "he predestined" and "His son" the pronoun refers to God (specifically 'God the Father'). In "he might be the firstborn" the pronoun "he" refers to the Son, i.e. 'God the Son' ...
James K's user avatar
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2 votes

"advocate xxxism" or "advocate for xxxism"? (where xxxism is an ideology, e.g. Marxism, Stalinism, Maoism, Platonism, Communism)

The verb to advocate is normally transitive. That's to say it takes an object (the thing being endorsed / defended) without needing a preposition. The full OED does specifically mention intransitive ...
FumbleFingers's user avatar
2 votes

"Since/For weeks he had been waiting for the reply."

If you look at the definition of since in the Cambridge dictionary, it says from a particular time in the past until a later time, or until now "from a particular time" must be something ...
JavaLatte's user avatar
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2 votes
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Meaning of "for"

"For" in this example is a hanging prepostition. It completes the phrasal verb started at the beginning of the sentence. The question is "How long for"?(time not distance) with the ...
Richard Stubbs's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

What is the function of the “for” in the sentence “For him to say that means a lot”?

[For him to say that] means a lot. "For" belongs here to the category (POS) subordinator, and its function is that of 'marker', where it is introducing the bracketed infinitival clause. ...
BillJ's user avatar
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2 votes

Which is correct: "for 5:00" or "by 5:00"?

Usually, we ask people to attend somewhere for a time, if we wish them to arrive a short time before that. For example, if something (a meal, a performance, etc) is to start at 5 PM, we might wish ...
Michael Harvey's user avatar
1 vote

Is 'for' required in this sentence?

Q. Is the "for" needed in the sentence below, and if so why? The law currently prevents terminally ill patients to choose death and for physicians to aid them I would suggest the text is ...
Brad's user avatar
  • 4,729
1 vote

Is 'for' required in this sentence?

The sentence is wrong both with and without the for. You prevent someone from doing something, not to doing it. It's also ambiguous. Does "choose death" means something like "refuse ...
Ethan Bolker's user avatar
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1 vote
Accepted

"So you could" or "for"

Taking the suggestion from the first comment, to use "drop out", and that of including the word "just", let me suggest these as idiomatic sentences: "I didn't pay your college tuition for four ...
Jack O'Flaherty's user avatar
1 vote

'I have been on vacation for two days' vs 'I was on vacation for two days'

I have asked this question on this forum as well. In general "I have been on vacation for two days" means either you arrived two days ago and you are still on vacation or you have recently returned ...
anouk's user avatar
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1 vote

"Perfect to me" vs. "Perfect for me"

You're perfect for me. This means you are evaluating the relationship, and believe the other person is a perfect match. You go together well, like two peas in a pod (that's an idiom), like two ...
Sam's user avatar
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1 vote
Accepted

has lived for vs has build for

1.a) I have been living here for 3 months. 1.b) I have lived here for 3 months. I think these two sentences pretty much have the same meaning. They both tell the reader that the writer started ...
Mixolydian's user avatar
  • 8,707
1 vote

the meaning of "for"

"For" can be a preposition or a conjunction. I am not sure what you understand by "adjective" or "adverb". Now let's analyze your examples, from simple to complicated. You say that you completely ...
virolino's user avatar
  • 9,267
1 vote

Confused by the meaning and construction of a sentence

The word thinketh is an archaic verb. We don't normally see verbs conjugated using -eth unless we are reading very old texts. The text you cited is actually a quote from the book of Proverbs in the ...
J.R.'s user avatar
  • 110k
1 vote

Confused by the meaning and construction of a sentence

This is fake early English, in the style of the Bible or Shakespeare. "Thinketh" is the old form of "thinks" The structure is similar to expressions in the King James Bible. The word "for" links ...
James K's user avatar
  • 232k
1 vote
Accepted

make + object + complement + for sb to do sth

Alexander's efforts to unite all of the Scots, and his concern for their welfare, made him the standard for his successors to emulate ___ . "Him" is direct object of "made" and "the standard for ...
BillJ's user avatar
  • 17.3k

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