In the sentence ‘She lived in our house some 18 months before returning to her country,’ the use of ‘some 18 months’ without ‘for’ can be confusing. It seems like the sentence is missing a necessary preposition, but actually, it is grammatically correct as written. Let’s dive deeper into why this is the case.
1. The Role of ‘For’ in Time Expressions
In English, the preposition ‘for’ is often used to indicate the duration of an action or event. For example, you might say, ‘I have lived here for three years.’ In these cases, ‘for’ introduces the duration (‘three years’).
However, when ‘some’ or other quantifiers are used with time periods, the sentence structure changes slightly. It’s not always necessary to use ‘for’ in such expressions.
2. The Meaning of ‘Some’ in the Sentence
‘Some’ is used in this case to express an approximate quantity or duration. It’s a more informal or conversational way of saying ‘approximately’ or ‘about.’ In sentences like this, ‘some’ typically doesn’t require the preposition ‘for’ before the time period it modifies.
So, when the sentence says, ‘She lived in our house some 18 months,’ the phrase ‘some 18 months’ already suggests an approximate duration, and ‘for’ is not needed to express this meaning.
3. Understanding Time Expressions Without ‘For’
In English, it is quite common to omit ‘for’ when ‘some’ is used before a specific time frame. For example, you might also hear sentences like:
- ‘He worked here some five years before moving to another city.’
- ‘It took them some three hours to finish the task.’
These constructions are perfectly acceptable and widely used, especially in informal or conversational contexts.
4. Is ‘For’ Ever Necessary?
While it’s not required in this case, there are situations where ‘for’ would be necessary. For example, in formal writing or when you want to emphasize the duration of the action, you might use ‘for’ to clarify the time span:
- ‘She lived in our house for some 18 months.’
- ‘He studied in the university for several years.’
These constructions emphasize the duration more explicitly, whereas the original sentence is more casual and emphasizes the action (living in the house) rather than the exact duration.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, the sentence ‘She lived in our house some 18 months before returning to her country’ is correct without ‘for.’ The use of ‘some’ before the time period makes the sentence informal and less precise. While using ‘for’ is grammatically correct, it isn’t necessary in this case because ‘some’ already conveys the intended meaning of an approximate duration.
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