Language/English/Vocabulary/Ago

Ago

Word order: six weeks ago

Ago follows an expression of time. 

Example:

• I met her six weeks ago. 

Tenses

An expression with ago refers to a finished time, and is normally used with a past tense, not a present perfect. 

Examples:

• She phoned a few minutes ago. (not She has phoned)

• ‘Where’s Mike? '‘He was working outside ten minutes ago.’

The difference between ago and for

Ago says how long before the present something happened; for (with a past tense) says how long it lasted. 

Compare:

• He died three years ago. (= three years before now) (not He died for three years, or for three years ago.)

• He was ill for three years before he died. (= His illness lasted three years.)

Ago and before with time expressions: counting back

We use "ago" with a past tense and a time expression to ‘count back' from the present; to say how long before now something happened.

We can use "before" in the same way (with a past perfect tense) to count back from a past moment. 

Compare:

• I met that woman in Scotland three years ago.(not three years before/ before three years)

• When we got talking I found out that I had been at school with her husband ten years before, (not ten years ago.)