ago vs. before

Question

Hello,1.) He moved there three years ago.2.) He moved there three years before.Sentence 1) would be the normal way to say it. Is sentence 2) wrong or a bit uncommon or very uncommon?Thank you,ac2000

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

'Ago' means 'before now'.
'Before' refers to some early time.

Ac2000 · Answer

Thank you, Mr Micawber. But I still don't quite understand it.

Does that mean:

1.) He moved there three years before. => So if this sentence ends with a full stop, no further context provided, would you consider it to be wrong?

2.) Would it be OK then to say e.g.:
a) He moved there three years before he enrolled in university.

Or would that have to be:

b) He moved there three years ago, before he enrolled in university.

Or is 2 a) correct too, only with slightly different meaning?

Thanks,

ac2000

Mister Micawber · Answer

ac20001.) He moved there three years before. => So if this sentence ends with a full stop, no further context provided, would you consider it to be wrong?

Yes, though I admit that some native speakers will utter it.

ac20002.) Would it be OK then to say e.g.:a) He moved there three years before he enrolled in university.

That's right—that's the idea.

ac2000b) He moved there three years ago, before he enrolled in university.

This one does not tell us the time difference between moving and enrolling; # 2a does.

Ac2000 · Answer

Thanks a lot for the explanations, Mr Micawber! Now everything is clear.

ac2000

ago vs. before

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