+01 424 645 5957

+39 347 378 8169

+01 424 645 5957

+39 347 378 8169

Since… Ago…

English Usage

volkswagen-158463_640

A long, long, long, time ago…

Since and Ago are often confused and used wrongly by learners of English in the TEFL class. But there are some simple rules which show how they should be used.

Since

The usage is quite simple: since is followed by a specific time.

since + specific time

I’ve been waiting here since 3 o’clock.

I’ve had this toothache since yesterday morning.

I’ve lived here since 1991.

Ago

Ago comes after a period of time.

period of time + ago

He arrived five minutes ago.

I bought this car three months ago.

The war between the two tribes started 100 years ago.

Note that ago refers to a time which started in the past and is still going on now.

Note

Finally, never use the two words in the same clause.

* I bought this car since many years ago.

* An asterisk denotes a grammatically wrong sentence.

I bought this car many years ago.

I’ve had this car since 1998.

Related Articles

ICAL TEFL Resources

The ICAL TEFL site has thousands of pages of free TEFL resources for teachers and students. These include: The TEFL ICAL Grammar Guide. Country Guides for teaching around the world. How to find TEFL jobs. How to teach English. TEFL Lesson Plans....

read more

6 Tips to Make your ESL Classes More Effective

Teaching is undeniably a challenging job, in fact many consider it one of the most difficult careers you could choose. Nevertheless, being a teacher is an enriching experience. Through quality education and effective teaching methodologies,...

read more

0 Comments