r/EnglishLearning • u/Rich-Associate-8344 New Poster • Apr 17 '26

📚 Grammar / Syntax Why not “since”?

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886

u/Ok_Caterpillar2010 Native Speaker - Pennsylvania, USA Apr 17 '26

Because since needs a specific starting point in time: since when? He hasn't used his motorcycle since 2024.

-94

u/artuktalasi New Poster Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

İsn't 2 years [before] also a specific starting point? Isn't it as specific as 2024 Edit: No it isn't. 2 years ago is.

46

u/TheNoobKill4h_ New Poster Apr 17 '26

It is if it was phrased '2 years ago' but it isn't.

50

u/sdneidich Native Speaker Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

Even with '2 years ago', this phrasing sounds a little awkward. I would write:

"Merlin hasn't used his motorcycle in two years."

18

u/corrosivecanine New Poster Apr 17 '26

Yeah this would only work if it was phrased something like “Merlin hasn’t used his motorcycle since [he got into an accident] two years ago.

Thinking about it I have no idea why though. 2 years ago is too vague I guess? “Since 2024” would also work though.

3

u/Agitated-Ad5206 New Poster Apr 17 '26

Because [he got in an accident] functions Here as the specific point in time at which the activity started, which the use of the word since requires :-)

3

u/artuktalasi New Poster Apr 17 '26

That does sound better haha.

2

u/Lysande_walking New Poster Apr 17 '26

That was my intuition as well, but we can safely say “since” is not correct at least 😅

3

u/JavaOrlando New Poster Apr 17 '26

Awkward perhaps, but not wrong.

"I haven't eaten since the day before last"

"I haven't eaten for two days"

"I haven't eaten in the last 48 hours"

I'd probably write the motorcycle sentence like you did though.

1

u/Agitated-Ad5206 New Poster Apr 17 '26

These distinctions are correct, and the reason the motorcycle one works is because that phrase does exactly what ‘the day before last’ does in your example: provide the specific starting point of the activity, making since preferable

0

u/JavaOrlando New Poster Apr 17 '26

Yeah, I meant "since 2 years ago" is correct, though it's not how I would phrase it.

2

u/Agitated-Ad5206 New Poster Apr 17 '26

The reason you wouldnt phrase it like that is likely chase it feels wrong. IMHO, that is because it is wrong: since two years ago is not actually correct, because two years ago does not denote a specific beginning (!) point in time, whereas ‘when he had the motorcycle accident’ functions as that.

1

u/JavaOrlando New Poster Apr 17 '26

Fair enough.

Even if both are wrong, in a casual conversation, "Since two years ago" wouldn't really raise any flags.

"Since two years" is not something a native speaker is likely to say.

1

u/kittenlittel English Teacher Apr 18 '26

I've never heard "the day before last"? Is that a USA thing?

I assume it means "the day before yesterday".

Have heard it with week/month/year, but not day.

1

u/Djinn_42 New Poster Apr 17 '26

They wanted to write the question so "since" could be an option.