Prepositions and Conjunctions of Time- for/ during/ while/ when

Prepositions and Conjunctions of Time - for / during / while / when

For

For shows how long something happened. It is used to refer to a period of time. For example

We're ging to live in Malta for 6 months

She's in New York for a few days

We went to Saudi Arabia for a week

While / During

Both during and while refer to a period of time in which something happens. For example

My phone rang while I was in a meeting

My phone rang during the meeting

During is used with a noun or noun phrase. For example

We were busy during the weekend

During the night the cat woke me up

The Athenians suffered heavy losses during the battle of Salamis

While is used with a subject and verb. For example

- We went shopping while you were sleeping

You shouldn't eat while you are in the library

While I was working I got an email from Tamara

When / While

When and while can both be used when two things happen at the same time

When two continuous actions happen at the same time, we usually use while. For example

While you were studying I went out shopping

Studying and shopping are actions

When two short events happen at the same time, we use when. For example

"When I saw you I didn't recognize you"

I saw you and I didn't recognize you are individual events

I heard you when you opened the door

In this situation while is incorrect. For example

"While I saw you I didn't recognize you"

When one continuous background situation occurs and one

shorter event occurs at the same time, when and while can both be used. For example

"When I was in Rome I met my wife "

"While I was in Rome I met my wife"

"I cut myself while I was cooking dinner"

"I cut myself when I was cooking dinner"

The position of while and when clauses is interchangeable with

usually little difference in meaning

Don't forget to lock the door when you go out

When you go out don't forget to lock the door

We're still growing while other businesses are losing clients

While other businesses are losing clients, we're still growing

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