If you are wondering about the difference between fourteen hundred hours (14.00) and 2pm, then this is for you.
There are twenty four hours in a day. In the world clock, http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/, you’ll see that times are written this way, from zero hundred hours (00.00) to twenty-three hundred hours (23.00).
There are other ways to talk about and write about the time. The more commonly used format is am and pm. Am refers to the time between midnight (00.00) and noon, or technically until 11.59. Noon (12pm) to 11.59 pm is the afternoon. Am and pm are abbreviations for Latin (ante-meridian and post-meridian).
Of course, it doesn’t end there. What is the difference between two thirty and half-past two? The answer is nothing. They are both 2.30. You also have two fifteen and quarter past two (2.15) and quarter-to-three or two forty-five (2.45).
You’ll find http://www.teachingtime.co.uk/ very useful because it explains the differences in more detail and gives you some practice.
Until next time …
- Grammar Girl.
