ago

adv.

1. （与动词简单过去时连用）以前
   used in expressions of time with the simple past tense to show how far in the past sth happened
   1. two weeks/months/years ago
      两周 / 两月 / 两年以前
   2. The letter came a few days ago.
      这封信是几天前寄来的。
   3. She was here just a minute ago.
      刚才她还在这儿。
   4. a short/long time ago
      不久 / 很久以前
   5. How long ago did you buy it?
      这东西你是多久以前买的？
   6. It was on TV not (so) long ago.
      电视不（很）久以前播出了这个节目。
   7. He stopped working some time ago (= quite a long time ago) .
      他早就停止工作了。
   8. They're getting married? It's not that long ago (= it's only a short time ago) that they met!
      他们要结婚啦？他们刚认识不久嘛！

1. ADV 以前
   You use ago when you are referring to past time. For example, if something happened one year ago, it is one year since it happened. If it happened a long time ago, it is a long time since it happened.
   1. He was killed a few days ago in a skiing accident...
      几天前他在一场滑雪事故中丧生。
   2. The meeting is the first since the war began 14 years ago...
      这是自14年前爆发战争以来的第一次会晤。
   3. Harry's daughter is dead. She died long ago.
      哈里的女儿已不在人世，很久以前就死了。

You only use ago when you are talking about a period of time measured back from the present. If you are talking about a period measured back from some earlier time, you use before or previously. He had died a month before... She had rented the flat some fourteen months previously. You use for to say how long a period lasts in the past, present, or future, or how much time passes without something happening. She slept for eight hours... He will be away for three weeks... I hadn't seen him for four years. You use since to say when a period of time started. She has been with the group since it began. ...the first civilian president since the coup 17 years ago. You also use since to refer to the last time that something happened, or to how much time passes without something happening. She hadn't eaten since breakfast... It was a long time since she had been to church.
ago仅用于谈及现在某个时间以前的时间。如果谈论过去某时间之前的时间，则用before或previously：He had died a month before（他一个月之前就死了），She had rented the flat some fourteen months previously（她大约14个月前租下了该公寓）。for用于表示过去、现在或将来持续的某段时间，或表示某事多长时间没有发生：She slept for eight hours (她睡了8个小时），He will be away for three weeks（他将离开3个星期），I hadn't seen him for four years (我有4年没见过他了）。表示某段时间开始用since：She has been with the group since it began（该集团创立之初她就在那儿工作），the first civilian president since the coup 17 years ago（自17年前发生政变以来的第一任平民总统）。since也可表示某事最后一次发生的时间或某事多长时间没有发生：She hadn't eaten since breakfast（她早饭后就一直没吃过东西），It was a long time since she had been to church（她已经有很长时间没去教堂了）。

1. He was killed a few days ago in a skiing accident
   几天前他在一场滑雪事故中丧生。
2. The meeting is the first since the war began 14 years ago
   这是自14年前爆发战争以来的第一次会晤。
3. Harry's daughter is dead. She died long ago.
   哈里的女儿已不在人世，很久以前就死了。
4. Greg lost his brave battle against cancer two years ago.
   格雷格在与癌症进行了勇敢的斗争之后于两年前去世。
5. The two West African states had broken off relations two years ago
   这两个西非国家两年前已经中断了外交关系。
6. Three years ago my wife and I divorced. I caught her with her boss.
   3年前，我和老婆离了婚。我发现她和她老板有染。
7. A few years ago Bacryl took charge of the company
   几年前，巴克里尔接管了该公司。
8. We entered into meaningful discussions with them weeks ago
   几周前，我们和他们进行了意义深远的讨论。
9. The couple met about two years ago and soon became firm friends.
   这对夫妇大约两年前相遇，很快就成了知交。
10. He must have started writing his book a long time ago.
    他一定很久以前就开始写这本书了。
11. I went through my midlife crisis about four or five years ago, when I was forty.
    四五年前，在我40岁的时候，我经历了中年危机。
12. He established one-man rule in his country seven months ago.
    他7个月前在自己的国家建立了个人统治。
13. I met George well over a year ago.
    我认识乔治已经是一年多前的事了。
14. I qualified as a doctor from London University over 30 years ago.
    30多年前，我从伦敦大学毕业，取得了行医资格。
15. Ray Bonner first relocated to Africa several years ago
    雷·邦纳在几年前先搬到了非洲。
16. Three years ago I ran away to Mexico to live with a circus.
    3年前我逃到墨西哥，和一个马戏团生活在一起。
17. I had a monumental run-in with him a couple of years ago.
    几年前，我和他大吵了一架。
18. I found solace in writing when my father died three years ago
    我父亲3年前去世的时候，我从写作中找到了安慰。
19. He did buy me those daffodils a week or so ago
    他确实在大约一个星期前给我买了那些水仙花。
20. The last time I saw her was about sixteen years ago
    我上次见她大约是16年前了。
21. A few years ago they toured the country in a roadshow
    几年前他们在全国作了巡回演出。
22. He died two months ago.
    他两个月前去世了。
23. My stand on this is just the same as it was four years ago.
    我对此事的立场与4年前的无异。
24. He left long ago.
    他早走了。
25. I knew that long ago.; That's no news to me.
    我早知道了。
26. I told them that long ago.
    我早已告诉他们了。
27. I met her once several years ago.
    几年前我曾见过她一面。
28. He should have come home long ago.
    论理他早该回家了。
29. They talked about their life in Beijing twenty years ago.
    他们谈到了20年前在北京的生活。

  ago before formerly previously【导航词义：以前】

  ago adv. 以前

〔辨析〕指从现在起往前推算一段时间，通常和一般过去时的动词连用。

  before adv. 先前，以前

〔辨析〕指过去某时间之前的时间或泛指以前，通常与动词的现在完成时连用，有时也可与动词的过去完成时或一般过去时连用，也可用于具体的一段时间；在间接引语中用 before 而不用 ago。

  formerly adv. 以前，从前

〔辨析〕泛指以前，有时常用于对比。

  previously adv. 以前，先前

〔辨析〕与 before 用法相同，但更加正式。

adj

1. gone by
   1. two years ago
   2. `agone' is an archaic word for `ago'

   Synonym:    agone

adv

1. in the past
   1. long ago
   2. sixty years ago my grandfather came to the U.S.