What's the Time ? There are two common ways of telling the time: • Formal but easier way: Say the hours first and then the minutes: Example: 7:45 - seven forty-five • More popular way: Say the minutes first and then the hours In English we use o'clock only to say full hours / round Example: 6:00 It's six o'clock 7:00 It's seven o'clock 8:00 It's eight o'clock 8:01 It's one past eight (In this case we no longer say o’clock) We use "PAST" to say the minutes until the limit of half an hour Examples: 6:10 pm It's ten past six 12:15 pm It's quarter past twelve 4:25 pm It's twenty-five past four 2:28 pm It's twenty-eight past two 10:30 am It's half past ten We use “TO” to tell the time from 31 minutes to be completed before a full hour Example: 2:35 It’s twenty-five to three 6:40 I’ts twenty to seven 9:45 It's quarter to ten 7:55 It's five to eight • American English Beside past, Americans often use after Example: 06:10 – It’s ten past six./It’s ten after six But in time expressions with “half past” it is not usual to replace “past” by “after” Beside “TO” Americans often use “before”, of or “till” Example: 05:50 – It’s ten to six/ It’s ten before/ It’s ten of six/ It’s ten till six Prepositions of time We use: • at for a PRECISE TIME • on for DAYS and DATES AT precise time ON Days and dates at o'clock on Sunday at 10.30am on Tuesdays at noon on March at dinnertime on 25 Dec 2010 at bedtime on Christmas Day at sunrise on Independence Day at sunset on my birthday at the moment on New Year's Eve Look at these examples: • • • • • • I have a meeting at 9am The shop closes at midnight Jane went home at lunchtime Do you work on Mondays? Her birthday is on 20 November Where will you be on New Year's Day?