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a long time ago vs a long time before

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'A long time ago' is commonly used to refer to a distant point in the past, while 'a long time before' is used to indicate a period of time prior to a specific event or point in time.

Last updated: March 21, 2024 • 1213 views

a long time ago

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to refer to a distant point in the past.

This phrase is used to indicate a time that is far in the past. It is often used to start stories or anecdotes.

Examples:

  • A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
  • I remember meeting her a long time ago.
  • He used to live here a long time ago.
  • It was obviously abandoned a long time ago.
  • I found the appropriate response to these situations a long time ago.
  • He stopped being my father a long time ago, Ethan.
  • I suppose a long time ago, it was... architecture.
  • The phone was cut off a long time ago.
  • Alex died for most of us a long time ago.
  • I left home a long time ago.
  • I made peace with it a long time ago.
  • That was a long time ago, Patrick.
  • It was a long time ago, though.
  • Mormons abandoned the practice of plural marriage a long time ago.
  • Spain was a long time ago.
  • The first time was a long time ago.
  • There was, a long time ago.
  • I lost my mother and father a long time ago.
  • Dave Jenkins is dead a long time ago.
  • He interviewed me a long time ago.
  • She quit a long time ago.
  • That girl died a long time ago.
  • She was in our party a long time ago.

Alternatives:

  • ages ago
  • many years ago
  • in the distant past
  • back in the day
  • once upon a time

a long time before

This phrase is correct and is used to indicate a period of time prior to a specific event or point in time.

This phrase is used to refer to a time that occurred before a particular event or point in time. It is often used to provide context or explain the timing of events.

Examples:

  • She left a long time before the party started.
  • He had finished his work a long time before the deadline.
  • The incident happened a long time before I joined the company.
  • And you were gone a long time before that.
  • We fought them for a long time before we removed it.
  • I got to the West a long time before Billy.
  • I lost Jack a long time before that.
  • I fell out of love with my wife a long time before she disappeared.
  • I think it will still take a long time before we get the genuinely lasting and coherent European transport policy that we want.
  • I lost Jack a long time before that.
  • It will be a long time before a field like that comes up again.
  • Only, it happened a long time before Christ. Before our Lord.
  • When your father died, it was a long time before he left me.
  • She knew me for a long time before I was in here.
  • Well, it's going to be a long time before you get any business from my office.
  • If you ask me, the booze did it to her a long time before that.
  • I started lying a long time before I learned how much men will give up for a pretty face.
  • I've got to wait a long time before I can enjoy you.
  • It might be a long time before his condition changes.
  • Harris was dead on the toilet a long time before we found him.
  • It could be a long time before he's back on his feet.
  • It will be a long time before they really understand it.
  • It'll be a long time before GeneCo can help you sing like Mag.

Alternatives:

  • long before
  • well before
  • prior to
  • previously
  • earlier than

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