[Vocabulary] How long is A FEW MOMENTS?

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LiuJing

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a few moments ago = a few minutes ago?

Or it is shorter than a few minutes?

Thank you.
 

emsr2d2

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a few moments ago = a few minutes ago?

Or it is shorter than a few minutes?

Thank you.

It's shorter. I would say it's about the same as "a few seconds ago".
 

bertietheblue

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I think it means different things to different people. I might say 'a moment ago' (more than I would say 'a few moments ago') if something happened a few minutes ago, for example if I want to emphasise to someone that they just missed seeing someone/something.

"You won't believe who I saw on the other side of the street a moment ago!"

has a greater urgency than:

"You won't believe who I saw on the other side of the street a few minutes ago!"

A few minutes ago is history; a moment ago is still tantalisingly close.
 

Raymott

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I think it means different things to different people.
It certainly seems to. It's also contextual.

I might say 'a moment ago' (more than I would say 'a few moments ago') if something happened a few minutes ago, for example if I want to emphasise to someone that they just missed seeing someone/something.

"You won't believe who I saw on the other side of the street a moment ago!"

has a greater urgency than:

"You won't believe who I saw on the other side of the street a few minutes ago!"

A few minutes ago is history; a moment ago is still tantalisingly close.
So, summarising your response and ems's: a moment is longer than a minute, but a few moments is less than a minute? :)
 

emsr2d2

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So, summarising your response and ems's: a moment is longer than a minute, but a few moments is less than a minute? :)

Well, I'm sticking to my guns. A single moment is very short, and a few moments is still definitely less than a minute! :-D
 

Editors4Writers

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This is an amusing topic. :-D From what I've learned, a few moments ago is typically regarded as an event that most recently occurred. Depending on the person's perception of time, a few moments ago could either be a few seconds or several minutes. As such, there are no concrete definitions.

"A moment ago" and "a few moments ago" are synonymous. :lol:
 
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