Since vs From: Difference and Comparison

Prepositions are a particular class of words in the English Language that expresses spatial or temporal relations. Preposition also helps to denote the semantic roles of the subject or object in the sentence.

A preposition combines with a noun or a pronoun. Prepositions come before a complement in a sentence. However, there is an exception to this role for the prepositions ‘ago’ and ‘notwithstanding’, which come after the compliment. Prepositions are of two types, they are

1. Prepositions of time
2. Prepositions of place

There are no rules to using a preposition. However, it is good to determine the type of preposition, as it helps in framing grammatically structured sentences.

Prepositions are words that denote the position, location, direction, and time that cannot be shown otherwise. The preposition types can be further categorized into specific units. While doing so, two prepositions significantly mention the time factor; Since and From.

Key Takeaways

1. “Since” indicates a specific point in time or event that marks the beginning of a period. “Form” is used to indicate the starting point of a duration of time or a location.
2. “Since” is often used with a specific date or time. “Form” is often used with a period or a starting location.
3. “Since” and “form” indicate time or location; they have different meanings and uses.

Since vs From

The term ‘since’ can be used to define the beginning of any time period. For example, she has been cooking since morning. This shows that she started the cooking in the morning. The term ‘from’ can be used to define the starting period of time. This term can also be used to specify location. It can also be used to connect two parts of a sentence. 

These two words have their prominence in different contexts. Both comments can be used to mention the time factor in a sentence.

For E.g.

1. John has lived here since 2008.
2. John has lived here from 2008 till 2019.

On analyzing the sentences mentioned above, the aspects noticed are

1. Both sentences say that John has lived in that place since 2008.
2. The second sentence gives complete information about John’s whereabouts.
3. The first sentence does not give complete information.

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Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	Since	From
Technical Difference	‘Since’ offers an unfinished statement. For E.g. I have been living here since 1998. It means ‘I’ have been living and continue to live.	‘From’ offers a finished statement. For E.g. I have been living from 1998 till 2008. ‘I’ have been living and completed living in the year 1998. The sentence is covered between two points in time.
Tense forms	‘Since’ cannot be used other than perfect tenses.	‘From’ can be used in any tense form.
Different Synonyms	‘Since’ has a dual meaning depending on the context. It additionally means ‘ due to the fact’ or because. For E.g. Since it was raining, the match was abandoned.	‘From’ has a single meaning, and that means.
Time of Reference	‘Since’ can refer only to past time.	‘From’ can refer to any time.
Location	Though ‘since’ has a dual meaning, it cannot denote any location.	‘From’ can be used to denote a location.

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When to Use Since?

‘Since’ is a preposition used in English that denotes the time factor. The word ‘Since’ indeed mentions the happening of an event from the past to the present or time in the past.

For E.g.

1. She has been suffering from this trouble since she was sixteen.
2. We have been walking since 6’O Clock.

If noticed clearly, ‘Since’ is the word used before a point in time in the sentence. 

‘Since’ 6’O’ Clock

‘Since’ she was sixteen.

Hence, ‘Since’ is the word that denotes a point in time in the sentence. 

I. ‘Since’ is the word used to mention the happening that has changed or happened earlier and continues till the present.

For E.g.

1. The dog has been howling since last night.
2. I have been reading this book since last week.

The above two sentences have 2 critical inferences.

1. The ‘event’ or the ‘happening’ is continuing.
2. The sentences are in the present perfect tense.

‘Since’ is the word that features in the present perfect or present perfect continuous tense.

It can also be seen that using ‘Since’ has established that the ‘event’ has started then.

‘Since’ is also used in conjunction to denote a reason.

For E.g.

1. He did not come to work since he was sick.
2. Since his grandfather died, he did not turn up to the party.

 

When to Use From?

‘From’ is a preposition used in English to denote time. It is also used in various contexts to establish relationships between two sentence parts.

I. In general, ‘From’ indicates the position of a location in space.

For E.g.

1. She went away from the house.
2. He walked away from the restaurant.

Both these sentences give the place of reference by using the word ‘From’.

II. ‘From’ is predominantly used to indicate the time factor to give completeness to the sentence.

For E.g.

1. The event will run from 6 PM to 11 PM.
2. The wedding is from 4 PM to 6 PM.

III. ‘From’ denotes the source of a thing or a person.

For E.g.

1. He is from London.
2. The consignment came from New Jersey.

IV. ‘From’ is also used to indicate a range 

For E.g.

1. The age group for this event starts from 16 to 60 years.
2. The temperature range from 100 degrees to 300 degrees Celsius.

V. ‘From’ is also used to indicate a point.

For E.g.

1. You will be able to see the mountain from there.
2. Can you see the tower from here?

VI. ‘From’ indicate the source of knowledge

For E.g.

1. I read a lot of news in the newspapers.
2. I studied well from the books given by the Professor.

‘From’ is a versatile word with varied usage in English. It ranges from the point in time to the location.

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Main Differences Between Since and From

1. The main difference between Since and From is ‘Since’ gives an unfinished statement of the time, while Since gives a finished view of time.
2. ‘Since’ can be used only in perfect tense forms, while ‘From’ can be used in any tense form.
3. ‘Since’ can also be used in different contexts and has a different meaning’ ‘due to the fact or because, while the word ‘From’ is also used in various aspects but does not change the meaning.
4. ‘Since’ can refer only to the time that has passed, while ‘From’ can denote any time. E.g., He will be available at the office from 11 AM to 4 PM. The sentence is in the future tense, while the word ‘Since’ cannot be used in such contexts.
5. ‘Since’ is a word which can denote only a point in time and also denote reasons and cannot help pointing out location, while ‘From’ can also denote locations.

References

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/from
2. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/since