ago/before

[Allifathima]

1. Long ago there was no one there.
2. Long before there was no one there.
3. Before long there was no one there.
Please correct.
If the sentence is wrong, please explain its grammar details.

[Beeesneees]

Long before is STILL incorrect without a time reference relating to it, just as it was last time we discussed this.
Long before there was no one there. = incorrect
Long before the earthquake took place there was no one there. = correct

The others are okay and carry different meanings.
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Cheers m' dears!

[Allifathima]

Please give the different meanings between #1 and #3 and explain.

[Jbarry524]

1) "Long ago there was no one there" is backward-looking. It means that there had been no one there before a certain point.

3) "Before long there was no one there" is forward-looking, even though the sentence is still past tense. It means that soon or in the near future after a certain point, there was no one there.

Hope this helps,

Jen

[Beeesneees]

Long ago there was no one there. - If you consider what it was like there a long time ago, there was no one there.

Before long there was no one there. - If you consider what it was like there at a certain point (a time in the near past or the far past), shortly after that point there was no one there.
_________________
Cheers m' dears!