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Sep 9, 2012 · 1. According to OED, once upon a time means at some time in the past (used as a conventional opening of a story). or formerly. On the other hand, a long time ago means a long time ago in the past. Now, they could be used interchangeably in some cases, but once upon time could refer to something that happened a few days or a month ago, which is ...
Sep 7, 2011 · You always need "a" preceding "long time ago", otherwise it doesn't make sense and sounds awkward. This ...
Oct 9, 2018 · You're right, sagar, in #9. As others have said, "Long ago" is the standard formula for legends, such as the Siddhartha tale. It tells the listener/reader immediately that the following is a traditional story. If you began with "A long time ago,...", the naive listener might think, for a moment, that you were remembering something that occurred ...
Jun 10, 2012 · English - USA. Jun 10, 2012. #2. Non, pas tout à fait. Since indique le début d'une condition. For indique la durée. Since a long time ago = depuis il y a longtemps. For a long time = depuis/pendant longtemps. P.
Sep 20, 2008 · But only 1 and 3 is correct in formal writing. But, on the other hand, the sentences given below are also correct. 5. It has been a long time since I have lived in this city. 6. It has been a long time since I have had a car. In 5 and 6, the verbs imply continuity. 5 and 6 can be re-written as. 7.
Mar 26, 2015 · But the vital point that seems to have been missed is that that and since would have opposite meanings there. "It's a long time that I have been writing English" is, though peculiar, both grammatical and correct: I have been writing English since childhood, which is a long time now. "It's a long time since I wrote English" is also grammatical ...
We do not have different tenses for the recent past versus long past. If you say “Harry disappeared”, that sentence of itself, with no further information, does not say whether he disappeared twenty years ago or twenty seconds ago. You would have to supply additional words to specify.
Jul 7, 2012 · A native English speaker in the United States would say: "I've been living with him for about eight months." I could say: I moved in with him about eight months ago, and I've been living with him ever since. We would never say: Since a long time ago. A long time ago, I heard that ghost story, but this is the first time I have heard it since ...
Sep 6, 2007 · Conan. "A long time ago" simply means " (At) a point in time which was a long time in the past." It is not a set phrase in that you cannot say "a long time" without the "ago". You cannot say "I met him for a point in time which was a long time in the past" so you cannot say "I met him for a long time ago."
1. 'They have been good friends recently' doesn't sound idiomatic to me; I'd prefer a 'since occasion O1 / year T1' or 'for about X1 months'. Or 'until quite recently' if they're not now good friends. – Edwin Ashworth. Aug 12, 2014 at 18:26. Note that had you added 'ago,' i.e. "They have been good friends for a long time ago," it would be ...
