If I want to say “I used to cook by myself for(in, over, during) the first week after I came here”, which preposition and sentence below should I use? Which are right and wrong among these sentences below?
a. In the first week after I came here, I cooked on my own.
b. During the first week after I came here, I cooked on my own.
c. For the first week after I came here, I cooked on my own.
d. Over the first week after I came here, I cooked on my own.
e. For/In/During/Over the first two weeks after I came here?
f. For/In/During/Over the first week of when I was here, I cooked on my own.
g. For/In/During/Over the first week since I came here, I cooked on my own.
Best Answer
Here are the words that I would use. In several cases, the answer is, "It depends on what the speaker is trying to say." In those cases, I have included more than one answer, with my "best guess" listed first and other possibilities afterwards.
Note: Changing the prepositions in examples (e) and (g) would change the meaning:
For the first week after I came here: Spans the entire first week.
In the first week after I came here: Describes an event that occurred between the start and the end of that first week.
During the first week after I came here: Like "in," but for an event that spanned time, e.g. "During the first week after I came here, I went to the bakery six times!"
Over the first week after I came here: Somewhat less common. Related to "Over the course of the first week..." Generally describes a progression, where you are comparing the situation at the start of the week versus the situation at the end of the week.