Tom started doing the same thing five years late or five years later?

[tufguy]

Rocky started doing something at 25 years of age and his brother Tom started doing something at the age of 35. So what do we need to say Tom started doing the same thing five years late or five years later?

 

[emsr2d2]

In what possible context are you going to need to explain this? Also, you need to check your maths and your logic. Unless we know how old Tom was when Rocky was 25, we have no way of knowing what he did five years later.

You're talking about age. What is the comparative word that we use when we're talking about age? Here's a hint: Mike is 35. His brother John is 40, so John is five years ___________/

We've said it before and we'll say it again - keep it simple!.

Start with "Rocky started playing football when he was 25."

 

[tufguy]

In what possible context are you going to need to explain this? Also, you need to check your maths and your logic. Unless we know how old Tom was when Rocky was 25, we have no way of knowing what he did five years later.

You're talking about age. What is the comparative word that we use when we're talking about age? Here's a hint: Mike is 35. His brother John is 40, so John is five years ___________/

We've said it before and we'll say it again - keep it simple!.

Start with "Rocky started playing football when he was 25."

Rocky started playing football at 25 years of age and his brother Tom started at the age of 35. So what do we need to say Tom started playing five years late or five years later?

 

[GoesStation]

Rocky started playing football at 25 years of age and his brother Tom started at the age of 35. So what do we need to say Tom started playing five years late or five years later?

Tufguy, how do you mark quoted text? Please put a corrected version of the above in a new post in this thread.

Regarding the question, from the information you've provided, we don't know who started sooner because we don't know their birth dates.

 

[tufguy]

Tufguy, how do you mark quoted text? Please put a corrected version of the above in a new post in this thread.

Regarding the question, from the information you've provided, we don't know who started sooner because we don't know their birth dates.

Rocky started playing football at 25 years of age and his brother Tom started at the age of 30. So what do we need to say "Tom started playing five years late" or "five years later"?

Sorry, Tom is 30 years old. Rocky is older and Tom is yonger. Rocky started when he was 25 however Tom started when he turned 30.

 

[GoesStation]

Rocky started playing football at 25 years of age and his brother Tom started at the age of 30. So what do we need to say, "Tom started playing five years late" or "five years later"?

Thanks for adding the quotation marks. We have no way to know who started later from the information provided. For example, if Rocky is five years older than Tom, they started at about the same time.

Try this instead:

Rocky started playing football in 2016. His brother Tom started in 2018. Tom started playing two years later than Rocky. ​

 

[emsr2d2]

If their age is the only important factor, then say:

Rocky started playing football when he was 25. His brother Tom started playing when he was 30.

If you need both pieces of information (age and the gap between them starting), then say:

Rocky started playing football when he was 25. Two years later, his brother Tom started playing, at the age of 30.

 

[tufguy]

If their age is the only important factor, then say:

Rocky started playing football when he was 25. His brother Tom started playing when he was 30.

If you need both pieces of information (age and the gap between them starting), then say:

Rocky started playing football when he was 25. Two years later, his brother Tom started playing, at the age of 30.

Is it also correct to say "Tom started playing five years late"?

 

[GoesStation]

Is it also correct to say "Tom started playing five years late"?

No. Not unless he originally planned to start five years earlier.

Later is a comparative. Look up that term and tell us something you learned.

 

[tufguy]

No. Not unless he originally planned to start five years earlier.

Later is a comparative. Look up that term and tell us something you learned.

Yes, I know this but can we say this if we are not comparing? Can we say "He started two years late. He should have started two years earlier"?

 

[GoesStation]

Yes, I know this but can we say this if we are not comparing? Can we say "He started two years late. He should have started two years earlier"?

Yes, that works.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, I know this, but can we say this if we are not comparing? Can we say "He started two years late. He should have started two years earlier"?

It's unclear why when he started it was late, but OK.