'Half Past Seven' Or '7:30 A.m.'? Expressing Time | English Notes

English Notes

quick reference for ESL learners

Search

Search for: Go

• Home
• Subscribe

• About
• VOCABULARY
  • Collocations
  • synonyms
  • This or That?
• Writing
  • Mechanics
  • Style & Structure
  • Usage tips
• Grammar
• How to…
• Words: Just Minted
• IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
• SERVICES
• Trivia
  • Words: trivia

// you're reading... mechanics ‘Half past seven’ or ‘7:30 a.m.’? Expressing time Posted by EnglishNotes ⋅ January 9, 2014 ⋅ Leave a comment Filed Under a.m. or AM, expressing time, when to spell out time

Rule: Spell out the time of day in text even with half and quarter hours.

Example: It was almost half past six when she got the first call from the press.

Rule: With o’clock, the number is always spelled out.

Example: The show begins at seven o’clock in the evening.

Rule: Use numerals to express the time of day when exact times are being emphasized.

Example: Her flight leaves at 6:22 a.m. Rule: Use noon and midnight rather than 12 p.m. or 12 a.m.

Example: He was born at midnight.

The session will be adjourned by noon.

Note: Most style guides recommend a.m. and p.m. (lower case, with period; AM/PM may appear at times but is not the norm.)

Rule: Omit zeroes when the time is on the hour  (7 a.m., NOT 7:00 a.m.) but include them in a list of varying times like this one:

9:00 a.m. Opening speech 9:30 a.m. Presentation by the Sales Team 10:00 a.m. Break

43.653226 -79.383184

Share this:

• X
• Facebook

Like Loading...

Related

« Say NO to ‘free gifts.’ Avoid redundancy How to greet someone you have not seen for a long time »

Discussion

No comments yet.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Δ

Search for:

Categories

• Grammar (30)
• How to…. (24)
• Idioms and expressions (14)
• Uncategorized (2)
• usage tips (1)
• Vocabulary (36)
  • Collocations (1)
  • Synonyms (8)
  • This or That? (26)
• Words: Just Minted (25)
• Words: trivia (4)
• Writing (13)
  • mechanics (9)
  • Style & Structure (2)
  • Usage Tips (3)

Recent Posts

• Noisome or noisy?
• Advance or advanced?
• Maybe or may be?
• ‘Sleep on it’ or ‘Sleep in’?
• Are you ‘mooning over’ somebody?

Archives

• June 2017
• February 2016
• January 2016
• November 2015
• October 2015
• February 2015
• January 2015
• December 2014
• September 2014
• January 2014
• December 2013
• November 2013
• October 2013
• September 2013
• August 2013
• July 2013
• April 2013
• March 2013
• February 2013
• January 2013

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Email Address:

Follow

Join 28 other subscribers

English Notes

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

• Comment
• Reblog
• Subscribe Subscribed
  • English Notes
  Join 28 other subscribers Sign me up
  • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• • English Notes
  • Subscribe Subscribed
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Copy shortlink
  • Report this content
  • View post in Reader
  • Manage subscriptions
  • Collapse this bar

%d