2 If you use a when-indication with "ago" you clearly refer to an event in the past and you use the past tense. If you want to indicate that the opening of the new restaurant is an up-to-date fact …

2 "ago" in its current form is a preposition of time, as it describes the relationship between two nouns: the current time and a past event. "Four score and seven years ago" is therefore an …

Apr 25, 2018 · Ago is a reference to the past, whereas Since is a reference to a period, or specific time. This pattern of speech is quite uncommon in today's spoken English. It is also dependent …

Two months ago is such a reference, but a reader might initially be confused by seeing since followed by two months, which would normally be preceded by for. Better to write either I`ve …

Apr 13, 2011 · "Year ago" and "years ago" are the most used phrases, at least in American English. Looking at what reported by the British National Corpus, I obtain the following data. …

Sep 9, 2012 · On the other hand, a long time ago means a long time ago in the past. Now, they could be used interchangeably in some cases, but once upon time could refer to something …

Feb 22, 2023 · Does anyone have good information on the first known usage or attribution of the phrase “the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is now”, or similar …

Q&A for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts

Jun 18, 2020 · I would say that "a few years ago" (with or without the "now") is about three to seven years ago, whereas "a fair few years ago" is more than that, maybe more in the range …

Sep 27, 2020 · What's the difference between having until and without until in the following context. Until a few years ago, the prevailing model was based on recycling: The brain got rid …