HOW TO TELL THE TIME IN ENGLISH (Intermediate)
In English, we tell the time using a clock divided into 12 hours (not
24). For example: we say: “It is 8 o’clock .” If we need to clarify the
time of day further we say: “It is 8
a.m. (in the morning) or 8
p.m. (in the evening).” Sometimes from the context we can verify
what period of the day we are talking about. For example: “I will meet you at 8 o’clock for breakfast, or I will
meet you at 8 o’clock for
dinner.” In this case we do not need to say; “In the morning or in the
evening,” as the type of meal indicates the period of day we are talking about.
When referring to minutes, in English we use "past" to say
times after the hour until half past, or 30 minutes past the hour. When the
number of minutes is greater than 30, instead of saying the number of minutes after the hour, you can say the number
of minutes before the next hour,
or the number of minutes to the
hour. When the time is fifteen minutes past the hour, or fifteen minutes to the
hour, we can say it is a quarter past or a quarter to the hour.
o'clock
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||
quarter to
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quarter past
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half past
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ASKING THE TIME
Here are some phrases you can use when you want to know the time:
What's the time?
What time is it?
Have you got the right time?
What time do you make it?
TELLING THE TIME
To tell someone what the time is, we can say "The time is..."
or, more usually, "It's...". Here
is a typical
dialogue:
Question:
|
What's the
time, please?
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Answer:
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It's three o'clock.
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The chart shows you two different
ways to tell someone what the time is.
It's...
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It's...
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3.00
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three o'clock
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three
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3.02
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just gone
three o'clock
|
three oh two
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3.03
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three minutes
past three
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three oh three
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3.05
|
five past
three
|
three oh five
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3.09
|
nine minutes
past three
|
three oh nine
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3.10
|
ten past three
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three ten
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3.15
|
a quarter past
three
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three fifteen
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3.20
|
twenty past
three
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three twenty
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3.21
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twenty-one minutes past three
|
three
twenty-one
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3.25
|
twenty-five
past three
|
three
twenty-five
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3.30
|
half past
three
|
three thirty
|
3.35
|
twenty-five to
four
|
three
thirty-five
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3.40
|
twenty to four
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three forty
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3.45
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a quarter to
four
|
three
forty-five
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3.50
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ten to four
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three fifty
|
3.55
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five to four
|
three
fifty-five
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3.57
|
three minutes
to four
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three fifty-seven
|
3.58
|
nearly four
c'clock
|
three
fifty-eight
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4.00
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four o'clock
|
four
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EXERCISE 1:
Read the short description of what I usually do during the day and note
the times mentioned on the clocks below:
I usually get up at a quarter past seven. I have breakfast at eight o'clock and then take the bus to
work at half past eight . I
usually arrive at work at a quarter to
nine . Sometimes, the bus is late and I arrive at about nine. My
morning is usually pretty busy and I like taking a coffee break at twenty to
eleven if possible. I then work to lunchtime at noon . In the afternoon, I usually have another break at three fifteen . I usually finish work
at a quarter to five and
arrive home around six in the evening. At night, I usually go to bed at eleven o'clock .
EXERCISE 2:
Write a description of what you did yesterday (stating the times, you
did things), and then note the times mentioned, on the clocks below:
Possible Answer Exercise 2:
This morning I woke at 5:45 am (a quarter to six or five forty-five). At
6 am (six o’clock) I got up and had a shower. At 6:15 (a quarter past six or
six fifteen), I had breakfast. After breakfast, I brushed my teeth, kissed my
still sleeping wife good-bye, put on my coat and left home. As I was walking
out the front door, I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall; it read 7:15 am
(a quarter past seven or seven fifteen). I then got into my car and drove to
the office. I arrived at the office at 7:50 am, (seven fifty or ten to eight),
and at 8 am (eight o’clock) I turned on my computer and began working. At 10 am
(ten o’clock I stopped for a short break but by 10:15 (a quarter past ten or
ten fifteen) I was back at my deck working hard. At mid-day (12 o’clock), I
stopped work and went out to lunch with my work colleagues. We returned to the
office at 1 pm (one o’clock). At 2:27pm (twenty-seven minutes past two or two
twenty seven) my boss called me to an urgent meeting. The meeting finished at
5:30 pm (half past five or five thirty) and upon returning to my desk, I turned
off my computer. I then headed home. The clock on the town hall tower was
reading 6:03 pm (three minutes past six or six oh three) when I drove past it.
I arrived home at 6:30 pm (half past six or six thirty). I ate dinner with my
wife and then we sat in the living room watching television. At 9:15pm (a
quarter past nine or nine fifteen) as we were both feeling tired, we decided to
go to bed. At 9:45 pm (a quarter to ten or nine forty-five) we put our books
aside and after kissing my wife good night, I turned off the light!
TO PRINT
TO PRINT
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