High School

Complete the sentences with *for* (for ten minutes etc.), *since* (since 5 o'clock etc.), or *ago* (two hours ago etc.). Use your own ideas.

1. You can't be hungry. You had lunch ______ half an hour ago.
2. Jane is fed up. Her friend is late. She's been waiting ______ for an hour / since 3 o'clock.
3. I don't live in London now. I moved to Paris ______.
4. I now live in Paris. I've been here ______.
5. Tom's grandfather died ______.
6. Maggie's got flu. She's been in bed ______.
7. Sue and Richard got married ______ and their first child was born ______.
8. I like Mary's hair. She's had it in that style ______.

What about you? Write your own short answers to these questions. Use *for*, *since*, and *ago*.

9. How long have you lived in the place where you're living now?
10. When did you last play a sport?
11. How long have you had this phone?
12. When did you start doing this exercise?
13. How long have you been a student?
14. When did you last buy a pair of shoes?
15. How long have you been able to speak English?

Answer :

Let's fill in the sentences with the appropriate words 'for', 'since', or 'ago'.

  1. You can't be hungry. You had lunch half an hour ago.

  • Here, 'ago' is used because we refer to a specific time period that has been completed in the past.

  1. Jane is fed up. Her friend is late. She's been waiting for an hour / since 3 o'clock.

  • 'For an hour' indicates the duration Jane has been waiting. 'Since 3 o'clock' specifies the starting point of the waiting.

  1. I don't live in London now. I moved to Paris two years ago.

  • 'Ago' is used to talk about a completed action in the past with a specific time.

  1. I now live in Paris. I've been here for three months.

  • 'For' relates to the duration or the length of time something has been happening.

  1. Tom's grandfather died five years ago.

  • Again, 'ago' is appropriate for something that happened a specific amount of time in the past.

  1. Maggie's got flu. She's been in bed since Monday.

  • 'Since' provides the starting point of a situation or event in the past.

  1. Sue and Richard got married two years ago and their first child was born nine months ago.

  • 'Ago' is used for both past events as they are specific completed actions.

  1. I like Mary's hair. She's had it in that style for six months.

  • 'For' highlights the duration her hairstyle has been the same.

Now, let's create answers for your questions using 'for', 'since', and 'ago'.

  1. I've lived in the place where I'm living now for three years.
  2. I last played a sport two weeks ago.
  3. I've had this phone since January.
  4. I started doing this exercise half an hour ago.
  5. I've been a student for ten years.
  6. I last bought a pair of shoes three months ago.
  7. I've been able to speak English since I was five.

In this exercise, understanding the context is key. 'Ago' is used for specific time in the past, 'for' is used for durations, and 'since' for starting points from the past.

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