0
Magic-dragon Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
can we use "earlier" instead of "ago"?
I'd be happy if someone would answer my questions. Thanks in advance.
Q 1 In the sentence: He said to me, "They left an hour ago", can we use "earlier" instead of "ago"?
Q 2 In the sentence: He told me that they had left an hour before, can we use "earlier" instead of "before"?
Q 1 In the sentence: He said to me, "They left an hour ago", can we use "earlier" instead of "ago"?
Q 2 In the sentence: He told me that they had left an hour before, can we use "earlier" instead of "before"?
Top answer
Hi, Q 1 In the sentence: He said to me, "They left an hour ago", can we use "earlier" instead of "ago"? No. When speaking of 'before the present time', say 'ago'.
- Hi, Q 1 In the sentence: He said to me, "They left an hour ago", can we use "earlier" instead of "ago"?
- No.
- When speaking of 'before the present time', say 'ago'.
- Q 2 In the sentence: He told me that they had left an hour before, can we use "earlier" instead of "before"?
- Yes, because the period referred to is not from 'the present time', it is from the time at which he spoke.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
4 Answers
0
Hi,
Q 1 In the sentence: He said to me, "They left an hour ago", can we use "earlier" instead of "ago"? No. When speaking of 'before the present time', say 'ago'.
Q 2 In the sentence: He told me that they had left an hour before, can we use "earlier" instead of "before"? Yes, because the period referred to is not from 't
Q 1 In the sentence: He said to me, "They left an hour ago", can we use "earlier" instead of "ago"? No. When speaking of 'before the present time', say 'ago'.
Q 2 In the sentence: He told me that they had left an hour before, can we use "earlier" instead of "before"? Yes, because the period referred to is not from 't
00
-Hi, Clive. I'm an original poster, Magic dragon. I see well, but there is another thing I want to ask.
Does the sentence, They left an hour earlier, mean that they left an hour earlier than the scheduled [planned] time?
Does the sentence, They left an hour earlier, mean that they left an hour earlier than the scheduled [planned] time?
00
Hi,
Does the sentence, They left an hour earlier, mean that they left an hour earlier than the scheduled [planned] time?
It means that they left an hour earlier than some time in the past that has already been established as a point of reference.eg
I saw Tom at at 5 pm. He said that Mary left an hour earlier.
This tells us
Does the sentence, They left an hour earlier, mean that they left an hour earlier than the scheduled [planned] time?
It means that they left an hour earlier than some time in the past that has already been established as a point of reference.eg
I saw Tom at at 5 pm. He said that Mary left an hour earlier.
This tells us
00
Hi, Clive. Thank you for your answer. I see well. But as a matter of fact, I wrote the wrong sentence. I should have written, "they had left an hour before" instead of 'They left an hour earlier". But in any case your answer will be the same.
0
Related Questions