'Long Ago', 'Long Time Ago', or 'A Long Time Ago'? Which One Is Correct? | Mastering Grammar

(Last Updated: 4 April 2024)

Long Ago, Long Time Ago, or A Long Time Ago: Which One Is Correct?

Long ago and a long time ago are expressions commonly used to refer to a non-specific point in the past that is far removed from the present. Both convey the same meaning, with long ago perhaps having a more literary or poetic ring to it. A common mistake among learners of English is the omission of the indefinite article a in the phrase a long time ago:

✅ He moved to the city long ago.
✅ He moved to the city a long time ago.
❌ He moved to the city long time ago.

✅ She visited the Great Wall of China long ago.
✅ She visited the Great Wall of China a long time ago.
❌ She visited the Great Wall of China long time ago.

✅ Long ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
✅ A long time ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
❌ Long time ago, dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

✅ The tradition started long ago and continues to this day.
✅ The tradition started a long time ago and continues to this day.
❌ The tradition started long time ago and continues to this day.

✅ Long ago, there was a vast empire that stretched across continents.
✅ A long time ago, there was a vast empire that stretched across continents.
❌ Long time ago, there was a vast empire that stretched across continents.

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Examples from the Media

It's a very special Christmas story from long ago when her son Matthew, your Poppa, was only 10 years old, just a little older than you are now. —Toronto Star (2023)

Alarm bells at Northern Rock should have rung long ago. —Daily Mail (2007)

"Our best basketball this year was played a long time ago, and we haven't been able to find that for 40 minutes in two months-plus," Buford said. —The Sydney Morning Herald (2023)

A long time ago in a newspaper close, close by, a critic was axed after a bad review. —The Washington Post (2017)

Real-World Examples of Misuse

1. Adding the definite article the before verbs helps to specify that the verbs to be used are the ones provided in the exercise. 
2. Slither is the more accurate term for the movement of snakes. Slide, while not incorrect, is a broader term that does not convey the twisting and curving motion characteristic of snakes.
3. Everyone (one word) is an indefinite pronoun that refers to all people as a collective group, whereas every one (two words) refers to each individual person or thing when considered separately. Only the two-word form can be followed by an of-phrase.
4. The change from every year to each year helps avoid the repetition of every in close proximity, as Every one of us appears in the same sentence. Repetition can sometimes make a text less engaging or more monotonous to read.
5. Saying many people lose their lives to snake bites establishes a more direct and causative relationship between snake bites and the loss of lives. The conditional if suggests a possibility, which is unnecessary here since the sentence states a reason for the fear of snakes.
6. The correct expressions are long ago and a long time ago. It is grammatically incorrect to say long time ago without the indefinite article a.
(Source: The True Light Middle School of Hong Kong (Primary Section))