in a long time / for a long time

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maledicte

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Joined
Nov 17, 2011
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Student or Learner
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French
Home Country
France
Current Location
France
Good evening !

Is the following sentence correct ?

"There was dust everywhere, as if nobody had come in a long time"

I know that "for a long time" would be right, but is it wrong to say "in a long time" in this context ? I'm sure I've heard and read "in a long time" several times, but I don't understand when it can be used, and when it can't.

Does anybody know for sure ?

Thanks !
 

emsr2d2

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Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
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UK
Good evening !

Is the following sentence correct ?

"There was dust everywhere, as if nobody had come in a long time"

I know that "for a long time" would be right, but is it wrong to say "in a long time" in this context ? I'm sure I've heard and read "in a long time" several times, but I don't understand when it can be used, and when it can't.

Does anybody know for sure ?

Thanks !

"In a long time" would be fine, but in my opinion, "come" is not natural. I would use:

"There was dust everywhere, as if nobody had been there in a long time."
 
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