Languagelab.com Blog » time

Telling the time

Iffaf — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:08:53 +0000

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.

Time and Tense!

Iffaf — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:24:07 +0000

Tense choices 101
What is the difference between ‘tense’ and ‘time?’ The answer is that ‘tense’ classifies verbs through NAMES like ‘present tense’ or ‘past tense’ and ‘time’ classifies situations described by verbs according to WHEN they happened. Sometimes, the link between tense and time is straightforward. What this means is that you can clearly see that the situation is in the past, the present or the future. But sometimes a verb in one tense describes a situation in another time. And sometimes there are strings of verbs put together that express something complicated (like ‘had been running’). You also have to think about how far into the past, the present or the future you are. What should you do? How do you make quick decisions about which tense to choose when you have a range of tenses to choose from and when each tense could change your meaning?

I believe that you should stop thinking about the names of the tenses. First think about what you want to say and THEN how you can say it. Which tense is going to convey your meaning? I know this isn’t easy but you could try this technique when you’re writing. Take your time. Think it through. Build your confidence.

In the meantime, have a look at this very brief list of tenses.

Tenses

Please send comments to this blog with a caption or a description of what’s happening in each picture in the cartoon. Look at the last picture and write a sentence about it. Relate it to the actions that happened before it.

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Setting your Local Time

Shiv Rajendran — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:05:15 +0000

Is your local time incorrect? Click on the “Edit My Profile” link on your dashboard to change it.