Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[dido4]

A:How often do you go to the movies?
B:Once a month.

Q1:Can B say Once in a long time. to express that B seldom goes to the movies.

Q2:Can B say Twice in two months. or Three times in two years. to express that B only goes to the movies two/three times during/within two months/two years.

Thank you.

[MrPedantic]

Hello Dido4

Yes, "once in a long time" would be fine as an answer. In British English, it might seem a slightly humorous formation; but perhaps it's more usual in other varieties of English (e.g. in American English).

"Twice in two months" and "Three times in two years" would be acceptable, but might give an impression of excessive precision. (If someone said "three times in two years" to me, I would at once be distracted by the calculation.)

Generally, it's more usual either to use a single unit of time in such phrases, or to be a little vague. So instead of "twice in two months", you would probably say "once a month", or "every few weeks"; and instead of "three times in two years", you would probably say "every eight months or so", or "once or twice a year".

MrP

[KazAV]

Once in a long time is indeed strange to my British ears

We do say this in British English though:

once every now and again.

Might sound even stranger!