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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Went to China for five years?

Hi. Please help. I think the phrase "for five years" denotes a duration of time, that is for a period of some time and in this case being for a period of five years. Having said that, I feel uneasy about this sentence that has the verb that seems to denote an action, that is "going", being followed by the phrase denoting a duration of time. But I think it is correct. Is it correct?

He went to China for five years.

If the above sentence is true, can this be correct too? I think the sentence below is correct and denotes his having stayed in China for five years, ending some time in the immediate past.

He went to China for the past five years.
  

Top answer

Anonymous I think the phrase "for five years" denotes a duration of time, that is for a period of some time and in this case being for a period of five years. Yes, but it may be referring to something continuous or to something intermittent during the five years. And it may refer to the past, present or future.

— Canadian45

  • Anonymous I think the phrase "for five years" denotes a duration of time, that is for a period of some time and in this case being for a period of five years.
  • Yes, but it may be referring to something continuous or to something intermittent during the five years.
  • And it may refer to the past, present or future.
  • Having said that, I feel uneasy about this sentence If you mean the sentence below, say so.
  • It is confusing to say "this sentence" long before you write the sentence.
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5 Answers
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AnonymousI think the phrase "for five years" denotes a duration of time, that is for a period of some time and in this case being for a period of five years. Yes, but it may be referring to something continuous or to something intermittent during the five years. And it may refer to the past, present or future.

Having said that, I feel uneasy about this sentence I
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AnonymousI feel uneasy about this sentence ... But I think it is correct. Is it correct?
He went to China for five years.
I can see why you feel uneasy about it, but it's correct because the native speaker will automatically and effortlessly take it to mean

He went to China and stayed there for five years.

Anonymo
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'He went to China for five years.' This sentence is a problem, because without context it's meaning can be interpreted in different ways.

1. He went to China and will stay there for five years. (At least part of his stay is still in the future.)

2. He went to China multiple times over an specified five-year period. (It happened in the past and perhaps was for busine
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itsmeaning (no apostrophe) Emotion: embarrassed
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Emotion: embarrassed It should be 'over anunspecified five-year period.'
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