English Grammar for ESL learners
FOR - SINCE - AGO
'For', 'since' and 'ago' are used to talk about time.
It is often difficult for learners of English to know when to use 'for', 'since' and 'ago'.
Here is a short explanation with examples.
| FOR |
- For is used to indicate
a period of time.
-
How long are you staying in London? I'm staying for a week.
- For is often used with the Present Perfect.
- I have been waiting at the bus stop for 10 minutes.
- I have lived in this country for 5 years.
- For can be used with other verb tenses :
- Present : I go on holidays for two weeks every summer.
- Past : When I was sixteen, I stayed in London for two months.
- Future :While I am in the USA , I will be in New York for two days.
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|
SINCE |
- Since is used to refer to the
starting point of actions or situations.
It is generally used with the Present Perfect.
- I have been waiting for the bus since 8 o'clock.
- I live in Tokyo. I have lived in Tokyo since January 2010.
- I have been learning English since the beginning of the year.
|
| AGO |
- Ago is used to say when past events happened,
going back from today towards the past. The verb is in the Past Tense.
- I came to Tokyo two years ago.
- I arrived at the bus stop 10 minutes ago.
- The company was founded 30 yearsago.
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Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.
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