Telling Time #3 - Dave's ESL Cafe

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Leaderboard Banner < Telling Time Telling Time: Telling Time #3 Dennis Oliver
Telling time is important for daily conversation. Because telling time has its own rules, here is the third Hint on this topic.
3. Telling Time in English: Quarter Hours and Half Hours
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:

 What Time is It?

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.

It's 2:30

It's half past two.

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.

Special Notes:

1.

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
2.

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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