In this article, we give a similar gist about the meaning of two different prepositions-through and during, which are sometimes confused for each other and are often misplaced. Through can generally be used in a sentence to denote a reference to both time and place, however, during is used to indicate a period.
Through vs During
The main difference between through and during is that the word through, as a preposition is used to indicate a movement from one end of an opening to another end, can be used as an adjective to denote that we’ve finished something and is also generally used as an adverb to indicate beginning to end whereas the word during is used as a preposition to denote the beginning to the end of a specific time.
Comparison Table Between Through and During (in Tabular Form)
| Parameter of comparison | Through | During |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Through implies the start to the end of a course of time. For example: it rained all morning through July into August. | During refers to a certain point of time between the start and the end of the course of time. For example: a new teacher was appointed during her absence. |
| Grammatical forms | Through can be used as a preposition, adjective, noun, and an adverb | During can be treated as a preposition. |
| As a preposition | The word ‘through’ as a preposition refers to movement from one end of something to another end. For example: the farmers were walking through the fields. | The word ‘during’ as a preposition is used before a noun to signify when some event happens. For example: no one was allowed to chew gum during the seminar. |
| Reference | Through can be used to talk about a reference in both time and place. | During can be used to talk about only a reference in time. |
When to Use Through?
The word ‘through’ refers to the movement in one side and out of the other side. ‘Through’ can be used as an adjective, preposition, adverb, and a noun in the English Language. For example: he drove a nut through the bulletin board.
General rules to follow when to use the word ‘through’:
- The word ‘through’ can be used to signify an acceptance by an official body,
- For example: The act was passed through the Supreme Court.
- The word ‘through’ can be used to specify relationships.
- For example: We are related through our grandparents.
- ‘Through’ can likewise be used to spread news on any matter.
- For example: We heard of the bad news through your husband.
- The word ‘through’ can be used to indicate time.
- For example: May through July.
- Through can be used to put down a condition.
- For example: She got through her sickness in the year 2019.
- The word ‘through’ can be used in a sentence when something has happened because of someone or something.
- For example: It was through the bank we lost our cash.
- Through can be used in a sentence to denote the completion of an event.
- For example: He got through reading little women.
- The word ‘through’ can be used to denote the beginning to the end of a process.
When to Use During?
The word ‘during’ can be used throughout a period or course of time. ‘During’ can be used as only a preposition in the English Grammar. For example: He plays video games during the day.
General rules to follow when to use the word ‘during’:
- ‘During’ can be used before a noun to refer to something that happens over a course of time.
- For example: Students are not allowed to use electronic devices during class hours.
- During can likewise mean the same as.
- For example: His great-great-grandfather fought against the British during the year 1945.
- During means something that occurred at an unspecified course in time.
- For example: During the First World War his grandfather just disappeared.
- The word ‘during’ cannot be used to refer to numbers and a significant time.
- For example: They lived in India during four years is an incorrect statement.
- ‘During’ can refer to something that occurred when an action/event is happening.
- For example: There was a loud noise that I heard during the night.
- ‘During’ can be used to indicate a time expression either at the first or last of a length in time.
- For example: During the Second World War, many innocent civilians died.
- During’ can be used in a sentence only before nouns and not before verbs.
- For example: Incorrect sentence: During stuck in traffic she called her companion.
Main Differences Between Through and During
- The word ‘through’ refers to the beginning or the ending of a particular time. For example: The couple walked swiftly through the forest to avoid spending the night there. The word ‘during’ refers to a particular point of time between the beginning and the ending of a certain time. For example: the baby cries during the entire night.
- The word ‘through’ can be treated as a preposition, adjective, noun, and an adverb. The word ‘during’ can be treated as only as a preposition.
- As a preposition ‘through’ refers to the movement from one side of a thing to the other side. For example: he walked through the crowd to reach his office. As a preposition, the word ‘during’ is used to indicate when some action has happened. For example: they were not allowed to eat during the class.
- The word ‘through’ is used in a sentence in reference to time and place. The word ‘during’ is used in a sentence in reference to only time.
Conclusion
For efficient communication, an individual must know the fundamentals of grammar. As children, everyone can do grammar by adding basic words and putting them together to form simple sentences but learning the essential rules of grammar shows us how necessary it is to precisely communicate your thoughts and ideas in such a way that you don’t think about what to say, but instead, you think about how to say it so that the person listening to you finds it simple and easy to comprehend.
If an individual doesn’t possess a thorough comprehension of different words, they usually find it difficult to grasp what other people mean and find it challenging to make use of written or verbal words to express their emotions and opinions on a normal basis. Therefore, analyzing the meaning of several words is acknowledged as a critical study of the essential attributes of language.
In this article, we bring about the analysis of how the two words- through and during may be confused for one another in some cases and clears the doubts by comparing both of the words and finding out that both of them have completely different meanings. We also highlight the general rules which may be used while using the two words to avoid mistakes or misplacements in sentences.
References
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/through?q=Through
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/during