For or during?
Both words talk about time, but they answer different questions. We use for to say how long something lasts. We use during to say when something happens inside a period or an event. Think of the Boeing 777 that dropped 27,000 feet over Ireland: the crew had very little time to lose, and the masks fell during the descent, not for it.
How for and during are different
for + a length of time
Question: How long?
- The plane flew at 36,000 feet for two hours.
- Passengers waited for forty minutes.
- The crew trained for a week.
during + an event or period
Question: When?
- The masks dropped during the descent.
- The captain spoke during the flight.
- Please stay seated during turbulence.
After for you can count: ten minutes, three hours, two days. After during you name something that happens: the briefing, the climb, the landing.
Watch out for these mistakes
- ✗ The aircraft was in the air during six hours. → ✓ The aircraft was in the air for six hours. (Six hours is a length of time.)
- ✗ The crew checked the cabin during the plane was descending. → ✓ The crew checked the cabin while the plane was descending, or during the descent. (During is followed by a noun; while is followed by a full clause.)
Try these
Choose the best word for each gap. Click an answer to check it.
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The aircraft flew at cruising height ____ about two hours.
Two hours is a length of time, so we use for.
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Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling ____ the emergency descent.
The emergency descent is an event, and the masks fell at some point inside it. That is during.
-
The passengers sat in the terminal ____ three hours.
Three hours answers How long?, so we use for.
-
The captain made an announcement ____ the flight.
The flight is a period of time, and the announcement happened inside it, so we use during.
-
The cabin crew served drinks ____ the plane was climbing.
A full clause (the plane was climbing) follows the gap, so we need while. With a noun we could say during the climb.
-
The oxygen supply lasts ____ about fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes is a length of time, so we use for.
Now make it real
Write two true sentences about your own flying or work. Use this frame: I usually … for … and During …, I …
Check your sentences before you look at the samples:
- Does each sentence say something true about you?
- After for, did you write a length of time (for example two hours)?
- After during, did you name an event or a period (for example the briefing)?
- Does each sentence start with a capital letter and end with a full stop?
Here are two samples to compare with your own:
- I usually fly for about four hours at a time.
- During the pre-flight briefing, I check the weather and the fuel.
Now look at your sentences again. Can you make one clearer by adding a more exact time or event?
CEFR Level B1 / ICAO Level 4
Want more reading at this level? Browse our CEFR B1 archive and look for for and during in the news stories.
