--- title: How long since? Counting back — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «How long since? Counting back», a lesson of the world course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: "How long since?" asks how much time has passed from something that already happened until now. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/) / How long since? Counting back # How long since? Counting back Lesson 108 of the world course of Mova's primary school: 21 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/0/) — "How long since?" asks how much time has passed from something that already happened until now. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/1/) — The trick is the same as "how long until": start at the earlier time and count up to now, jumping to the o'clock first. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/2/) — Ali says, "I've been waiting ages!" He got to the park at 3:50 and it is 4:05: 10 minutes to 4:00, then 5 more, only 15 minutes. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/3/) — Waiting, missing someone or wanting a cuppa makes time feel longer than the clock says. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/4/) — Across midday, count whole hours or switch to the 24-hour clock: the dog was fed at 7:30 am and it is 1:30 pm, which is 13:30, and 13:30 − 7:30 = 6 hours. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/5/) — No wonder he is whining at his bowl. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/6/) — Across midnight, split the time in two. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/7/) — Holly fell asleep at 9:45 pm and woke at 7:15 am: 2 hours 15 minutes to midnight plus 7 hours 15 minutes after it makes 9 hours 30 minutes of sleep. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/8/) — For days in the same month, just take one date from the other: a bean planted on 2 March that sprouts on 16 March took 16 − 2 = 14 days, two weeks, which the British call a fortnight. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/9/) — To find how long since something happened, count up from the earlier time to now. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/10/) — From 3:50 to 4:05 is 15 minutes: 10 minutes to 4:00 and 5 more. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/11/) — From 7:30 am to 1:30 pm is 6 hours; on the 24-hour clock that is 13:30 − 7:30. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/12/) — From 10:15 to 11:00 is 45 minutes, three quarters of an hour and less than one hour. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/13/) — A phone at 100% at 7:00 and 50% at 12:00 lost half its charge in 5 hours, about 10% every hour. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/14/) — From 9:20 to 10:05 is 45 minutes: 40 minutes to 10:00 and 5 more. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/15/) — From 20 August to 20 October is 2 months, not a year. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/16/) — "A minute ago" usually just means recently; from 8:03 to 8:10 is really 7 minutes. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/17/) — From 11:40 am to 3:10 pm is 3 hours 30 minutes: count the whole hours to 2:40, then add 30 minutes. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/18/) — For two dates in the same month, take the smaller date from the bigger: 16 − 2 = 14 days. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/19/) — A fortnight is 2 weeks, 14 days; the word is common in Britain, Ireland and Australia. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/108-how-long-since-counting-back/21/) — Words people use: "ages" and "donkey's years" mean a long time, "cuppa" is a cup of tea, "gasping" means desperate for a drink, "kip" means sleep, "our kid" means my brother or sister (Manchester) and "mardy" means grumpy (north and Midlands of England). - ← previous: [How long until? Counting on across the hour](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/107-how-long-until-counting-on-across-the-hour/) - next →: ["Five more minutes" and other waiting games](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/109-five-more-minutes-and-waiting-games/) - ↑ back to [World](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/)