[Grammar] I work/run (for) 2 hours a day.

[beachboy]

1 - I work/run 2 hours a day.
2 - I work/run for 2 hours a day.

Are all the sentences above right? Any difference?

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, we generally use "for".

 

[GoesStation]

They're all fine in American English. The presence or absence of the preposition makes no difference in the meaning.

 

[jutfrank]

The presence or absence of the preposition makes no difference in the meaning.

I think it does, or at least could. Let's ignore run for the time being, change the duration for the sake of example, and focus on work:

A: I work 8 hours a day.
B: I work for 8 hours a day.

A seems very likely to be saying something specifically about my scheduled working hours, which probably means I'm talking about a single shift for which I receive a wage.

B doesn't really imply any of that—it's just a statement about how long I work. It may well be that the hours are not contiguous, and the nature of the work is not one of employment.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I think it does, or at least could. Let's ignore run for the time being, change the duration for the sake of example, and focus on work:

A: I work 8 hours a day.
B: I work for 8 hours a day.

A seems very likely to be saying something specifically about my scheduled working hours, which probably means I'm talking about a single shift for which I receive a wage.

B doesn't really imply any of that—it's just a statement about how long I work. It may well be that the hours are not contiguous, and the nature of the work is not one of employment.

That could be one way to look at it. I wouldn't have picked up on any difference. The two statements mean the same thing to me.

I'd spell out two.