Since、For、During、While:唔再頭痕嘅時間字

「I've been waiting since three hours.」聽落好痛,但極之常見。「During I was eating, the phone rang.」都係。兩句都用咗一個喺你腦海入面 聽落 似啱嘅時間字,但喺 native speaker 耳仔入面就 land 錯位。要 fix 佢其實好細件事。等我哋執靚佢。

快速答案

• Since = 過去嘅一個 starting point。(since Monday、since 2019)
• For = 一段 時間長度。(for two hours、for three years)
• During = 喺 一個 event 或者 noun phrase 入面。(during the meeting、during summer)
• While = 喺 一條有動詞嘅 clause 入面。(while I was eating)

如果下一個字係 時間點 → since。如果係 數字 + 單位 → for。如果係 形容 event 或者一段時期嘅名詞 → during。如果係 一個有 subject 同 verb 嘅完整迷你句子 → while。

簡單規則

• Since + 起始點:話畀你聽件事 幾時 開始。幾乎一定配 present perfect 或者 past perfect tense。「I've worked here since January.」
• For + 持續時間:話畀你聽件事 幾耐。幾乎任何 tense 都得。「I worked there for five years.」
• During + noun phrase:話畀你聽 喺乜嘢時段或者 event 入面。「I fell asleep during the movie.」
• While + subject + verb:話畀你聽 同另一個動作同一時間。「I fell asleep while the movie was playing.」

最後兩個係兄弟,唔係雙胞胎。During 後面跟 一樣嘢(一個 event、一段時期)。While 後面跟 一句句子(有自己嘅 subject 同 verb)。好多 learner 想 swap 佢哋,而呢個就係成個 family 入面最大嘅漏水位。

真實例句

起始點 —— since

• I've lived in Taipei since 2018.
• She hasn't called since Monday.
• We've been friends since elementary school.

時間長度 —— for

• I lived in Taipei for five years.
• She talked for an hour without stopping.
• We've known each other for ages.

喺一個 event 或者時期入面 —— during

• My phone rang three times during the meeting.
• He traveled a lot during the summer.
• Nobody moved during the earthquake.

同另一個動作同一時間 —— while

• My phone rang while I was presenting.
• He read three novels while he was on vacation.
• Nobody moved while the building was shaking.

留意 during / while 呢對配得幾靚 —— 意思保持唔變,淨係換後面跟咩嘢。During the meeting = 一個名詞。While I was presenting = 一條 clause。同一個 idea,兩個唔同嘅文法位。

常見錯誤

• 「I've been waiting since three hours.」 → 「I've been waiting for three hours.」 · 三個鐘係一段 長度,唔係起始點。
• 「I lived in Korea since five years.」 → 「I lived in Korea for five years.」 或者 「I've lived in Korea since 2020.」 · Since 要一個時間點,唔係 duration。
• 「During I worked there, I met my best friend.」 → 「While I worked there, I met my best friend.」 · During 後面唔可以跟 clause。
• 「While the meeting, my phone rang.」 → 「During the meeting, my phone rang.」 · While 後面唔可以淨係跟一個名詞。
• 「He stayed for since Monday.」 → 「He has stayed since Monday.」 或者 「He stayed for three days.」 · 揀一個 —— since 或者 for,唔可以兩個一齊用。

一個微妙嘅 tense 細節:since 幾乎一定 pull 個 perfect tense(「I have lived... since...」),因為你係描述一段由過去開始、延續到而家嘅時間。For 就 flexible 啲 —— 食得落 simple past(「I lived there for five years, then moved」)、present perfect(「I've lived here for five years」)、同 future(「I'll be there for two weeks」)。如果你句嘢用 since 配 simple past 動詞,double-check 下;佢通常想要 present perfect。

考試陷阱

閱讀同聆聽題好倚賴呢個 family,因為呢啲字喺 learner 眼中睇落可以互換,但對 native 嚟講係鎖死咗精確意思。TOEIC 同 IELTS 都鍾意呢類句子:「The number of applicants has tripled ___ the new policy took effect.」如果你 reach for during,你會失分 —— 「the new policy took effect」係一條完整 clause,所以個位要嘅係 since(當佢係一個起始時刻)或者 after。TOEFL Listening 經常喺敘事 recount 入面藏呢個 trap,speaker 喺同一段 paragraph 入面切換「during my internship...」同「while I was interning...」。兩個 phrase 都係描述同一段時期,但一個後面跟名詞、一個後面跟 clause —— 而 comprehension question 可能會靜靜哋 check 你識唔識將一個 paraphrase 做另一個。

小測試

1. I've been studying Japanese _____ I was twelve.
2. She lived in Berlin _____ almost a decade.
3. Please turn off your phone _____ the performance.
4. My laptop crashed _____ I was saving the file.
5. We haven't seen each other _____ the last conference.

答案

1. since —— 「I was twelve」係過去嘅一個起始點。
2. for —— 「Almost a decade」係 duration。
3. during —— 「The performance」係一個 event(noun phrase)。
4. while —— 「I was saving the file」係有自己 subject 同 verb 嘅 clause。
5. since —— 「The last conference」係過去嘅一個特定時間點。

一句總結

問自己一條問題:下一個字係咩類型嘅嘢? 一個時間點、一段 duration、一個 event,定係一個完整嘅迷你句子?Match 啱佢,你嘅時間字就唔會再漏水。