kadioguy
Key Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
[A Facebook message]
You haven't posted in a while.
https://i.imgur.com/p72TfZx.jpg
----
Why not "You haven't posted for a while"?
I found the following discussion. According to it, I think:
a. "You haven't posted in a while" means "You haven't posted after a period of time."
b. You haven't posted for a while" means "You haven't posted during a period of time."
However, both are OK and practically mean the same.
Is that right?
https://www.quora.com/Can-you-corre...u-in-a-while-or-I-havent-seen-you-for-a-while
"I haven't seen you in a while" or "I haven't seen you for a while"?
Cynthia Duncan
[...] In a structure like the one you mention, you can use the preposition “in” or “for,” both are acceptable, but could be understood in slightly different ways.
Steve Wright
Both are grammatically correct and socially appropriate in all situations. I agree with Professor Duncan here- there is a very slightly different nuance. Most simply, “for a while” refers to a period of time during which you haven’t seen each other. On the other hand, “in a while” has something of a double meaning, and one of which, here, means after a certain period of time.
So “I’ll see you in a while” means that we’ll see each other after an indefinite period of time has passed. And “I haven’t seen you in a while” means that we’re now meeting after an indefinite period of time has passed.
This is such a subtle difference, during a period vs after a period, that you don’t really need to worry about the difference until you get into graduate school-level English language parsing. You have my permission to use either one freely, and my blessing to use both interchangeably.
Mike Perry
[...] I would say that “in a while” in this context is American usage; “for a while” is UK.
In UK English, “in a while” would generally be used with a future tense: “I will do it in a while”.
You haven't posted in a while.
https://i.imgur.com/p72TfZx.jpg
----
Why not "You haven't posted for a while"?
I found the following discussion. According to it, I think:
a. "You haven't posted in a while" means "You haven't posted after a period of time."
b. You haven't posted for a while" means "You haven't posted during a period of time."
However, both are OK and practically mean the same.
Is that right?
https://www.quora.com/Can-you-corre...u-in-a-while-or-I-havent-seen-you-for-a-while
"I haven't seen you in a while" or "I haven't seen you for a while"?
Cynthia Duncan
[...] In a structure like the one you mention, you can use the preposition “in” or “for,” both are acceptable, but could be understood in slightly different ways.
Steve Wright
Both are grammatically correct and socially appropriate in all situations. I agree with Professor Duncan here- there is a very slightly different nuance. Most simply, “for a while” refers to a period of time during which you haven’t seen each other. On the other hand, “in a while” has something of a double meaning, and one of which, here, means after a certain period of time.
So “I’ll see you in a while” means that we’ll see each other after an indefinite period of time has passed. And “I haven’t seen you in a while” means that we’re now meeting after an indefinite period of time has passed.
This is such a subtle difference, during a period vs after a period, that you don’t really need to worry about the difference until you get into graduate school-level English language parsing. You have my permission to use either one freely, and my blessing to use both interchangeably.
Mike Perry
[...] I would say that “in a while” in this context is American usage; “for a while” is UK.
In UK English, “in a while” would generally be used with a future tense: “I will do it in a while”.
