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Telling Time #3, by Dennis Oliver
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Telling
time is important for daily conversation.
Because telling time has its own rules, here is
the
third Hint on this
topic. |
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3. |
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Telling Time in English:
Quarter Hours and Half
Hours |
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A quarter hour (1/4 of an
hour) is
15
minutes, a half hour (1/2 of
an
hour) is 30 minutes,
and three quarters
of an hour (3/4 of an
hour) is 45
minutes.
There
are special expressions for time
given
in quarter hours and
half
hours: |
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What Time is
It? |
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It's 2:15.
It's a
quarter after 2.
It's
a quarter past 2.
It's 15 minutes past 2.
It's 15 past 2.
It's 15 minutes after
2.
It's 15 after
2.
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It's 2:30
It's half past
two.
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It's 2:45
It's a quarter before
3. /
It's a quarter
until 3. /
It's a
quarter 'til 3. /
It's
a quarter to 3. /
It's a quarter of 3.
It's 15 minutes before /
until / 'til / to / of
3.
It's 15 before
/ until /
'til / to
/ of 3.
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Special Notes:
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1. |
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In English, at the half hour
(2:30, 9:30,
11:30, etc.), we do
not say "half
+ the
next hour"
or
"thirty before (etc.)
the next hour or
"half before (etc.) the
next
hour":
wrong: 5:30 = *half six / *thirty
before (etc.)
six / *half before
(etc.) six
right: 5:30 = half past five or
five-thirty |
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2. |
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In English, at
15 minutes before an
hour (2:45, 7:30, 10:45, etc.), we do
not say "15
minus (or less) the next
hour":
wrong: 7:45 = *eight less 15 or *eight
minus 15
right: 7:45 = seven forty-five or
a quarter / fifteen (minutes) before
/
until / 'til /
to / of eight |
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