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Telling The Time Lesson PDF

The document explains two common methods of telling time in English: stating the hour followed by minutes or stating minutes followed by 'past' or 'to' the hour. It also covers specific phrases for quarter past, quarter to, half past, and the use of 'o'clock' for whole hours, as well as how to ask for and give the time. Additionally, it clarifies the use of a.m. and p.m. to differentiate between morning and afternoon/evening times.

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Hadjer Chellali
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77 views2 pages

Telling The Time Lesson PDF

The document explains two common methods of telling time in English: stating the hour followed by minutes or stating minutes followed by 'past' or 'to' the hour. It also covers specific phrases for quarter past, quarter to, half past, and the use of 'o'clock' for whole hours, as well as how to ask for and give the time. Additionally, it clarifies the use of a.m. and p.m. to differentiate between morning and afternoon/evening times.

Uploaded by

Hadjer Chellali
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Telling the Time

There are two common ways of telling the time:


1) Say the hour first and then the minutes. (Hour + Minutes)
 6:25 - It's six twenty-five
 2:34 - It's two thirty-four
 8:05 - It's eight O-five (the O is said like the letter O)

2) Say the minutes first and then the hour. (Minutes + PAST / TO + Hour)
For minutes 1-30 we use PAST after the minutes.
For minutes 31-59 we use TO after the minutes.

 11:20 - It's twenty past eleven  2:35 - It's twenty-five to three


 4:18 - It's eighteen past four  2:59 - It's one to three

When it is 15 minutes past the hour we normally say: (a) quarter past
 7:15 - It's (a) quarter past seven

When it is 15 minutes before the hour we normally say: a quarter to


 12:45 - It's (a) quarter to one

When it is 30 minutes past the hour we normally say: half past


 3:30 - It's half past three (but we can also say three-thirty)

 O'clock
We use o'clock when there are NO minutes.

10:00 - It's ten o'clock 5:00 - It's five o'clock 1:00 - It's one o'clock

Sometimes it is written as 9 o'clock (the number + o'clock)

 12:00
For 12:00 there are four expressions in English.
 twelve o'clock
 midday = noon
 midnight

 Asking for the Time


The common question forms we use to ask for the time right now are:
 What time is it?
 What is the time?

A more polite way to ask for the time, especially from a stranger is:
 Could you tell me the time, please?
The common question forms we use to ask at what time a specific event will
happen are:
What time...?
When...?
 What time does the flight to New York leave?
 When does the bus arrive from London?
 When does the concert begin?

 Giving the Time

We use “It is” or “It's” to respond to the questions that ask for the time right now.
 It is half past five (5:30).
 It's ten to twelve (11:50)

We use the structure (AT + time) when giving the time of a specific event.
 The bus arrives at midday (12:00).
 The flight leaves at a quarter to two (1:45).
 The concert begins at ten o'clock. (10:00)

We can also use subject pronouns in these responses.


 It arrives at midday (12:00).
 It leaves at a quarter to two (1:45).
 It begins at ten o'clock. (10:00)

 AM vs. PM
We don't normally use the 24-hour clock in English.
We use a.m. (am) for the morning and p.m. (pm) for the afternoon and night.
3am = Three o'clock in the morning.
3pm = Three o'clock in the afternoon.

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