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Tuongvan Posted 18 years ago
Grammar
died 10years before
Dear teachers,
Why is " ago " not used instead of " before here?:
His first wife, the mother of all his children, died of cancer ten years before. He’d had two concubines in succession, both around twelve years younger than he was. He and his wife often fought about them and eventually it went to court.
Thank you in advance
Why is " ago " not used instead of " before here?:
His first wife, the mother of all his children, died of cancer ten years before. He’d had two concubines in succession, both around twelve years younger than he was. He and his wife often fought about them and eventually it went to court.
Thank you in advance
Top answer
Ago is used when the starting reference point is the present: I live in Chicago; I moved here ten years ago (ten years before now ). I graduated from college in 1999; I graduated from high school 10 years before .
- Ago is used when the starting reference point is the present: I live in Chicago; I moved here ten years ago (ten years before now ).
- I graduated from college in 1999; I graduated from high school 10 years before .
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4 Answers
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Ago is used when the starting reference point is the present:
I live in Chicago; I moved here ten years ago (ten years before now).
I graduated from college in 1999; I graduated from high school 10 years before.
I live in Chicago; I moved here ten years ago (ten years before now).
I graduated from college in 1999; I graduated from high school 10 years before.
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Here's another example that may be helpful.
When describing events that happened in the past you use "before" to indicate that an event happened counting from the date of the events being described not from the date of the account itself.
So, if I am describing the US moon landing I might say,
"When Armstrong stepped out onto the surface of the moon he was completing a missi
When describing events that happened in the past you use "before" to indicate that an event happened counting from the date of the events being described not from the date of the account itself.
So, if I am describing the US moon landing I might say,
"When Armstrong stepped out onto the surface of the moon he was completing a missi
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TuongvanWhy is " ago " not used instead of " before here?Things can happen "before now" or "before then" (before a time other than now).
If it is "before now", you must substitute "ago".
If it is "before then", you may use the complete expression "before then", or you may subsitute "before". In either case the reader has to determine from context wh
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