Unit 8.1
Telling the time
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Introduction
Telling the time consists of showing the exact hour and minutes in present time or the moment in which an event starts or finishes, as a point of reference. There are different ways to express the time in English.
Form
- Telling the hour + the minutes
| 6:23 – it’s six twenty-three |
- Telling the minutes + the hour
For minutes 1-30 we use past after the minutes.
For minutes 31-59 we use to after the minutes.
| to | 6:40 – it’s twenty to seven |
| past | 6:25 – it’s twenty-five past six |
- Telling the time when it’s 15 or 30 min past the hour
| a quarter past | 6:15 – it’s a quarter past six |
| a quarter to | 6:45- it’s a quarter to seven |
| half past | 6:30 – it’s half past six |
- Telling the time when there are no minutes
| o’clock | 6:00 – it’s six o’clock |
- Telling the time when its 12 o’clock
| it’s twelve o’clock |
| it’s noon/midday |
| it’s midnight |
- a.m. vs p.m.
We don’t use the 24h clock in English. Instead we use:
| a.m. (ante meridiem – before noon) | 6.00 – it’s six a.m. / it’s 6 a.m. |
| p.m. (post meridiem – after noon) | 18.00- it’s six p.m. / it’s 6 p.m. |
- Asking for the time
| What time is it? |
| What is the time? |
| What time …? |
| When…? |
- Giving the time
| It is/ It’s + concrete time | It is three o’clock |
| Situation (verb) + at + concrete time | I’ll pick you up at three o’clock |
Example
- It is a quarter past two (2:15)
- The meeting begins at twenty to four (3:40)
- It’s noon. (12 pm)
Use
We tell the time when we want to say what time it is or when an event begins or ends.
Exercises
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