FOR AND DURING
FOR + period of time
* to talk about the duration of the action
We watched the series for six hours last weekend.
Martha is traveling for two weeks in December.
We haven’t seen each other for ages!
Are you going to the beach for the weekend?
DURING + noun
* to say when the action occurs (not how long)
He fell asleep during his economics class.
I made some new friends during my holiday in Hawaii.
His car is not here anymore. He must have left during the night.
* never use during to talk about duration
Incorrect: She practiced during a week without stopping.
Correct: She practiced for a week without stopping.
Incorrect: I’ve been working for this company during 15 years.
Correct: I’ve been working for this company for 15 years.
IN and DURING
* use in or during with time expressions such as the morning, the afternoon, the summer
He must have left in the morning. ( = during the morning)
She’ll call you sometime during the afternoon. ( = in the afternoon)
DURING AND WHILE
during + noun
She fell asleep during the ceremony. They met a lot of potential clients during the trade fair in Berlin. Aldo felt sick during his driving test. | while + subject + verb
She fell asleep while she was listening to music. They met a lot of potential clients while they were attending the trade fair in Berlin. Aldo felt sick while he was taking his driving test. |