What is ‘Since’?
‘Since’ is an adverb to indicate a period’s starting point. It is used to refer to a period that has already passed. For example, “I have been living here since January. “It is also used to refer to a point in the past.
‘Since’ can also indicate the cause or reason for something. For example, “I have been feeling down since my break up. “It also indicates a cause of an action or situation.
‘Since’ can also introduce a clause that follows the main clause. For example, “I have been studying hard since I want to get into college. “In this example, the clause “since I want to get into college” explains the reason for studying hard.
‘Since’ can also indicate the beginning of a situation that has continued up to the present. For example, “I have been living in this city since I was a child. “It can also refer to something that started in the past and continues until now.
In conclusion, ‘since’ is an adverb used in many ways to indicate a starting point, a cause, or the beginning of a situation that continues up to the present.
What is ‘Ago’?
Ago is a Latin preposition, adverb, and conjunction which means “before” in English. It is used to indicate a point of time in the past and is used in combination with other words such as “ago” and “before.”
Ago is used to indicate a specific time, such as “ten minutes ago” or “two weeks ago,” or to refer to an unspecified time in the past, such as “long ago” or “not so long ago.”
Ago is also used to indicate a period that has passed since an event occurred. For example, “five years ago” indicates the time that has elapsed since the event occurred.
Ago can also indicate the amount of time that has elapsed since a particular moment in the past, as in “a day ago” or “a month ago.”
Ago is an essential part of the English language and is used in various ways by native speakers. It is beneficial for indicating a point in the past and is used in combination with other words to indicate a specific time or period that has passed.
Difference Between ‘Since’ and ‘Ago’
- ‘Since’ is used to exhibit a point in time in the past, while ‘Ago’ indicates a point in the past relative to the present.
- ‘Since’ indicates a period that began in the past and continues until the present, while ‘Ago’ indicates a period that occurred in the past.
- ‘Since’ can be used to give a specific date, while ‘Ago’ cannot be used to give a specific date.
- ‘Since’ is accompanied by a clause, while ‘Ago’ is used alone.
- ‘Since’ refers to the amount of time that had passed since a past event, while ‘Ago’ refers to when the event occurred.
Comparison Between ‘Since’ and ‘Ago.’
| Parameters of comparison | Since | Ago |
| Usage | ‘Since’ describes an action that started in the past and continues to the present. | ‘Ago’ is used to describe an action that happened in the past and has since ended. |
| Meaning | ‘Since’ implies a temporal relationship of something occurring in the present or future. | ‘Ago’ implies a temporal relationship of something occurring in the past. |
| Context | ‘Since’ is used in more formal contexts. | ‘Ago’ is used in more informal contexts. |
| Grammatical tense | ‘Since’ is used with the present perfect or past perfect tense. | ‘Ago’ is used with the simple past tense. |
| Time Frame | ‘Since’ denotes a point in time from the present. | ‘For’ refers to a period that may or may not be specified. |