During vs. In vs. For

• It rained during the night.
• There was not even a whisper during the whole service.

During can also be used to talk about things that happened continuously or several times between the beginning and the end of a period of time.

• I used to visit him during my stay in Boston.
• The baby woke up several times during the night.

During and For

During is used to say when something happens; for is used to say how long it lasts.

• It rained for three hours.
• It rained during the night.
• I was sleeping during the service.
• The service lasted for more than three hours.
• I don’t remember the exact date, but it was during the winter.

During and In

We use both during and in to say that something happens inside a particular period of time.

• I woke up during/in the night.
• It rained during/in the week.

We prefer during when we stress that we are talking about the whole of the period. In cannot be used like this.

• There was not even a whisper during the whole service. (NOT — in the whole service.)
• We were on holiday during the whole of May.

During or In or For | Grammar Exercise

Complete the following sentences using during, in or for.

1. I woke up several times ————– the night. (during / for)

2. I went to Kerala ——————- the Diwali holidays. (in / during)

3. He was in hospital ——————— the winter. (during / for)

4. I was in Kerala ———————- six days. (during / for)

5. The manager has agreed to see you —————- a few minutes ———— the evening. (during, for / for, during)

6. We were on holiday ————— December. (in / during)

7. I met him —————– the afternoon. (during / in / for)

8. The shop was closed ——————- the whole of December. (during / in / for)

9. I met him —————- my holidays in Canada. (during / in)

10. I will phone you —————- the meeting. (during / in)

Answers

1. I woke up several times during the night.

2. I went to Kerala during the Diwali holidays.

3. He was in hospital during the winter.

4. I was in Kerala for six days.

5. The manager has agreed to see you for a few minutes during the evening.

6. We were on holiday in / during December.

7. I met him in / during the afternoon.

8. The shop was closed during the whole of December.

9. I met him during my holidays in Canada.

10. I will phone you during the meeting.