FOR / SINCE / AGO

FROM… TO / UNTIL

# FOR and SINCE

We use for and since to say how long.

We use for and since with the present perfect or the present perfect continuous.

We use for + a period of time

for five days
1	2	3	4	5

Beginning End

Ex.: I have been ill for five days.

I have been working for hours.

We use since + the start of the period

since Monday
Monday		today

Beginning End

Ex.: He has been in London since Monday.

He has been living in London since 2003.

Comparison:

(1) I have been living in Canada since September. (= from September to now)

I have been living in Canada for two months. (not ‘since two months’)

(2) I have known him since 2003. (= from 2003 to now)

I have known him for a long time. (not ‘since a long time’)

We can also use for with the past simple, the present continuous or the future.

Ex. : I stayed in Canada for two months.

I’m going to Canada for two months.

I’ll be in Canada for two months.

# AGO

We use ago to say before now.

Ago is an answer to the question When?.

We use ago with the past simple.

We use duration + ago.

Two years ago
2003		today

Past Now

Ex.: I started my therapy two years ago. (= two years before now)

‘When did he go out?’ ‘Ten minutes ago.’ (= ten minutes before now)

Comparison:

(1) When did you arrive in Canada?

I arrived in Canada two months ago.

(2) How long have you been in Canada?

I’ve been in Canada for two months.

# FROM… TO

We use from... to to delimit a period.

We use from + the beginning of the period + to + the end of the period.

We can also say from… until.

From Monday to Friday
Monday		Friday

Beginning End

Ex.: I work from Monday to Friday.

I lived in Canada from 2001 until 2004.

# UNTIL

We use until + the end of the period.

We can also say till.

Until Friday
	Friday

Beginning End

Ex.: I’ll work until Friday.

I lived in Canada until 2004.

Wait here till I come back.

# EXERCISES

Fill in the blanks with Since, For, Ago, From… to or Until.

(1) Loïc lived in Canada ……… ten months. He’s been staying in Montreal ……… September 2004 ……… May 2005. ……… he came back, he often thinks about his Canadian friends. He studied at the University of the Quebec ………… the strike in February.

(2) Nine months ………, a bomb attack occurred in Beirut. François was in Lebanon ……… September. Before he arrived, he had been traveling ……… three weeks from Marseilles to Beirut by bus. After the bomb attack against the former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, there had been being a lot of demonstrations ……… the end of the Syrian occupation.

(3) They’ve known each other ………. two years, but Loïc has been in the IEP ……….. 2003, whereas François entered it three years ……… . They don’t know if they are going to stay in the IEP ……… the M2.