Doing nothing for the past few days vs Doing nothing from the past few days

The correct phrase is "doing nothing for the past few days." The preposition 'for' is used to indicate a duration of time, while 'from' is not suitable in this context. 'From' is typically used to indicate a starting point in time, not a duration.

Last updated: March 19, 2024 • 1129 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a period of time during which no activity was done.

"Doing nothing for the past few days"

This phrase is used to express that no activities were performed during a specific period of time in the recent past.

Examples:

I have been doing nothing for the past few days.
She was just sitting at home, doing nothing for the past few days.
He felt guilty for doing nothing for the past few days.
They had been doing nothing for the past few days, waiting for the situation to improve.
The doctor advised him to rest and do nothing for the past few days.

Show examples from the web [+]

Aug 24, 2013 ... Lately, I found myself doing nothing for the past few days at work. Just waiting and waiting and waiting until something happens. Most of the ...
Feb 9, 2014 ... "Can we help in anyway," Zatanna asked "we've been sat here doing nothing for the past few days. "Yeah and whenever we ask you where's ...
Dec 7, 2011 ... Also, I got to feel pretty justified doing nothing for the past few days. R.I.C.E., baby : I understand that this is a crappy, generally useless photo.
Nov 27, 2009 ... I'm not complaining. Maybe they thought since I finish my exams early, I'm doing nothing for the past few days of holiday. Well, to tell you the ...

Alternatives:

doing nothing recently
doing nothing over the past few days
doing nothing in the last few days
doing nothing during the past few days
doing nothing in recent days

This phrase is incorrect in English. 'From' is not used to indicate a duration of time in this context.

"Doing nothing from the past few days"

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Doing nothing for the past few days vs Doing nothing from the past few days