/əˈɡəʊ/
Translation
Before now; used to say how long before now something happened.
Word origin
From Middle English agon, the old past participle of a verb meaning to pass away.
- Origin
- Middle English
- Root
- agon
- English cognates
- gone
Examples
.
"Ago" comes after the length of time, not before it.
.
Here "ago" means at a point far back in the past.
?
"How long ago" asks how far back in the past it was.
Used in
Grammar articles
(12)Adverb position in English: before the verb, after be, and the just, still and already traps
British vs American grammar: have got, gotten, the team are, and the other quiet differences
For, since, already, yet and still in English: which word, and where it goes in the sentence
Irregular verbs in English: the full list by pattern
Mixed conditionals in English: past causes with present results, and present causes with past results
Nominalisation in English: arrive becomes arrival, decide becomes decision, and why written English turns actions into things
Past simple tense: rules, examples and when to use it
Present perfect tense: rules, examples and when to use it
Reported speech in English: backshift, questions and commands
The subjunctive and the unreal past in English: I suggest he go, if I were you, and it's time we left
Used to, would and be used to: talking about past habits and states in English
Word formation with prefixes: un-, in-, im-, dis-, re-, over-, under- and mis-
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 7.