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Ask for help > light up my way please
light up my way please
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Mrfateh
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light up my way please
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hi every body !
I wanna just confirm an information if someone could help me please.
is there any difference between how long and how long ago ? if yes how to use it exactly ?
thank you so much your help would be very precious for me . |
23 Oct 2012
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douglas
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There is a slight difference, but it is not significant in how they are used:
"how long"-- focuses on the period of time (e.g. 10 years)
"how long ago"-- focuses more on when that period started (Oct of 92, it was 10 years ago) |
24 Oct 2012
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Apodo
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Usage: How long were you in France? 10 years, from 1999 to 2009. How long ago were you in France? 3 years ago. I returned in 2009. (It is now 2012) How long ago? is the same as �How long since ... � How long since you were in France? 3 years ago. I returned in 2009. (It is now 2012) EDIT: You�re right Bruce. I did make it more complicated than it needed to be.
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24 Oct 2012
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papadeli
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How long + Present Perfect : How long have you been here? How long + Present Perfect Cont. : How long have you been waiting? How long ago + Simple Past: How long ago did you visit him? Greetings from Greece, |
24 Oct 2012
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yanogator
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I have a slight disagreement with Apodo �s answer. Depending on the level of the students, I might not even mention it.
"How long ago" focuses on the past
"How long since" focuses on the duration since the event/end of the event. Because of this, I wouldn �t answer "How long since you were in France?" with "3 years ago". I would just say "Three years", because I �m talking about the length of time since I left France, rather than when I left. It �s a pretty minor point, but it �s a clear difference to me.
Bruce |
24 Oct 2012
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