PASTused to show how far back in the past something happened 以前
5 minutes/an hour/20 years etc ago
Her husband died 14 years ago.
她的丈夫14年前去世了。
long ago/a long time ago
He should have finished at university long ago, but he kept taking extra courses.
他大學早就該畢業了,但是他不停地選修額外課程。
a minute/moment ago
The little girl you saw a moment ago was my niece.
你剛才看到的那個小女孩是我侄女。
a little/short while ago
Tom got a letter from him just a little while ago.
湯姆剛在不久之前收到他的一封來信。
They moved to a new house some time ago (=a fairly long time ago).
他們搬進新居已有些日子了。
We had our bicentenary celebrations not that long ago.
不久前,我們舉行了200周年慶典活動。
5GRAMMAR 語法:ago, before, previously
Use ago to say how much time has passed from the time something happened to the present time 用ago表示從事情發生到現在時間過去了多久
We went to Madrid two years ago.
我們兩年前去了馬德裏。
Use before to say how much time passed from the time something happened to a time in the past 用before表示從事情發生到過去某個時間是多久
Her husband had died many years before.
那時她丈夫已去世多年。
Previously is used in the same way, but is more formalpreviously的用法相同,但更加正式
The meeting was a follow-up to one that had been held four days previously.
這次會議是四天前那次會議的後續。
Use the past tense, not the present perfect, with agoago和過去時連用,不和現在完成時連用
I started (NOT 不說 I've started) a new job a few weeks ago.
幾星期前我開始了新工作。
Do not use a preposition ('at', 'in', 'on' etc) before a phrase with ago 帶ago的短語之前不用at,in,on等介詞
They first met fifteen years ago (NOT 不說 at/in fifteen years ago).
他們15年前相識。
Do not use 'since' or 'before' with agoago不和since或before連用
I came to the US two months ago (NOT 不說 since/before two months ago).
我兩個月前來到美國。
nGRAMMAR: Patterns with ago
Use the simple past, not the present perfect, with ago. You say: ago和過去時連用,不和現在完成時連用
I started a new job a few weeks ago.
幾星期前我開始了新工作。
✗Don’t say: I’ve started a new job a few weeks ago.
Don’t use a preposition such as ‘at’, ‘in’, or ‘on’ before a phrase with ago. You say:
They first met fifteen years ago.
他們15年前相識。
✗Don’t say: They first met at/in/fifteen years ago.
Don’t use ‘since’ or ‘before’ with ago. You say:
I came to the US two months ago.
我兩個月前來到美國。
✗Don’t say: I came to the US since/before two months ago.
Examples from the Corpus
ago• Thirty years ago 33 % of universitystudents were female; now there are more women than men.• "When did you hurt your back?" "About a fortnightago".• Michael left the office 20 minutesago.• Michael left the office about half an hourago.• My daughter was married just over a year ago.• Pauline wrote to me once, but that was agesago.• We went down to see a show in London not so long ago.• After all, he was supposed to have been hanged half a centuryago.• Even their twittering seems fairly low-keycompared with the excited sounds they made just a few weeks ago.• The good oleboys had their day two years ago.• "When did you live in Germany?" "Oh, it was a long time ago."• The only thing we ever get is old, stalenews about where they used to be, some time ago.• Did you see that program about genetics that was on a little while ago?• I met your father once, a long time ago.• Lucy's auntdied a few monthsago.• I had my keys a minute ago, and now I can't find them.• That was less than three and a half hours ago, but it might have been years.• The gun was pieced together over twenty years ago by Caltech geophysicist Tom Ahrens.• George went out half an hour ago. Can I have him call you back?• The company a year ago changed its reportingperiod to a fiscal year that ends March 31 from a calendar year.• How long ago did you buy the computer?• How long ago was that, Dad?
some time ago• Her father died some time ago.• I lost my taste for sweetssome time ago.• The only thing we ever get is old, stale news about where they used to be, some time ago.• They moved to Chicago some time ago , a couple of years I think.• We did a job for Jett some time ago, and he told me to drop in whenever I was passing.• She had arrived with her parentssome time ago but seemed to be dancing with a matador.• She must have gone to bedsome time ago, else Jessie wouldn't have been able to sneak out.• The extent to which certainspecies of marinefishes may be tamed was publishedsome time ago in a popularweeklymagazine.• Maybe your financialposition has changed recently and plans you made some time ago need reviewing.
Originago
(1400-1500) From the past participle of ago“to pass away”((11-17 centuries)), from Old Englishagan, from gan“to go”