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Originally Posted by Marylin Well, this particular topic is really generating a lot of debate. And to be quite honest with you I haven't seen anything in grammar saying that since and ago can't be used in the same sentence. It sounds a bit awkward but I hear that use very often. In fact, I am almost used to hearing it all the time. Of course, we tell everyone that since ties with "two years" and ago will take on "two years ago".
X noticed that the same question can be easily changed to:
He has lived in this flat for two months.
Plain and simple.
But what if the person wants to give the sentence an exact point in time ( since 2 months and not two months and 3 days, two months and 3 weeks, etc) and at the same time we know it happend in the past (ago) then how else can we go about it? How else would you paraphrase a sentence like that without spreading yourself too thin? Can you do it all in one sentence? To me it's a quick shortcut between Past Simple and Present Perfect Tense.
Perhaps it's too much to cram into one sentence but grammatical or not, it's very common nowadays. |
I hear what you're saying. But as you said, it sounds awkward. And to me it's too awkward. Although it is used, I wouldn't say it's in the mainstream of English language use. I would have to call it incorrect.
Instead of saying "since two months ago", I would name the specific point in time that refers to "two months ago". For example, it's now May 26. He's been living here since March 26. Or I would say "he's been living here for two months".
Here's a link to "since * * ago".
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22since+**+ago%22
So it's out there -people use it - as you say, but I find it disagreeable. I don't suspect and I don't believe
that many people use it. I wouldn't describe it as a "correct form".
I would not advise anyone that "he's been living here since two months ago" is okay. It's not okay for me.
I say "mainstream" and not "standard" because there are just a few grammatical forms which I and many others say are okay, but the "standardists" simply insist they are "wrong". Fortunately, there are very few of these "standardists". We have to be practical and really consider what we say and what can say when telling ESL students what they can say and cannot say. Quote:
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Well, this particular topic is really generating a lot of debate. And to be quite honest with you I haven't seen anything in grammar saying that since and ago can't be used in the same sentence.
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That's an interesting point. It calls to mind a question: Does grammar account for everything that may or may not be said?