Indicates a considerable amount of time spent on an activity without taking a break.

Time Span

Accentuates the length of an activity to emphasize endurance or boredom.

Emphasizing Duration

Sometimes used exaggeratively to stress continuous action, not necessarily literal.

Helps create a picture of objects being in an upright position rather than lying down.

Suggests a way to organize things to save space or for visual effect.

Implies that objects must be stable enough to stand upright without support.