Is it " for years together or since years together"

@Manasha (2727)
Pondicherry, India
January 23, 2013 1:20am CST
I got a doubt regarding the following sentence. Is it fine to write I have been writing articles for years together or I have been writing articles since years together
6 responses
@urbandekay (18278)
23 Jan 13
Neither of these sentences are correct since you do not say with what it is that you are together. I have been writing articles for years, together with ... It is unclear what exactly you mean I have been writing articles for many years I have been writing articles for successive years all the best, urban
@dee777 (1417)
• South Africa
23 Jan 13
Urban, I think manasha wants to inform the people that he has been writing articles for a long time. If that is the case, should it not then read: 'For years I have been writing articles'?
@urbandekay (18278)
23 Jan 13
In that case, 'For years I have been writing articles' as you say is correct Or 'I have been writing articles for years' is acceptable and which is perhaps, a more usual English construction Totsiens, urban
• Turkmenistan
7 Feb 13
U may say: since when u say an exact starting point, for example: i have been writing since september/2005/monday e.t.c since is use when u want to show the starting point or time. but "for" is used to say the amount of time u r doing. for example, on december u started to write, and now it is february. So u say: i have been writing since december. I have been writing for two month. i hope i was able to explain.
• Turkmenistan
7 Feb 13
in your case u have to write: I have been writing articles for years. U cannot say i have been writing since years
@kalav56 (11464)
• India
12 Feb 13
'For years together' is acceptable in informal or spoken English but'since years together' cannot be accepted there too.Only when the time is specified e.g. 'since Monday' or 'since 2010' you can use 'since'. 'Singing together' is different.Here 'together' is used as an adverb ; on the other hand 'for years together ' is used as an adverbial phrase and it cannot be looked at in isolation.But , there is one hitch here.It is more acceptable in informal English than formal written English.It is therefore safe not to use it in written English. You can simply write "I have been writing articles for many years'/ ' a number of years' etc.., 'or I have lost count of the number of years that I have been writing articles.'
@DoctorDidi (7018)
• India
7 Feb 13
'I have been writing articles for years together' is the correct form of sentence. 'For' is used to denote a non-specific period of time while 'since' is used to denote a non-specific period of time. If you like to use 'since', you have to write it as 'I have been writing articles since the year, 2009'.
• Philippines
23 Jan 13
for years together is the right phrase to use.
• India
23 Jan 13
For years together. What articles are you writing?