Explanation

There are two common ways of telling the time.

Formal but easier way:

Say the hours first and then the minutes.

Example: 7:45 – seven forty-five

For minutes 01 through 09, you can pronounce the ‘0′ as oh.

Example: 11:06 – eleven (oh) six

More popular way:

Say the minutes first and then the hours. Use past and the preceding hour for minutes 01 through 30. Use to and the forthcoming hour for minutes 31 through 59, but .

Example: 7.15 – fifteen minutes past seven

Example: 7.45 – fifteen minutes to eight

Another possibility of saying ‘15 minutes past’ is: a quarter past

Another possibility of saying ‘15 minutes to’ is: a quarter to

Another possibility of saying ‘30 minutes past’ is: half past

Example: 5:30 – half past five

Note:

Use o’clock only at the full hour.

Example: 7:00 – seven o’clock (but 7:10 – ten past seven)

In everyday English  the twelve-hour clock is used. Timetables usually use the twenty-four-hour clock. In spoken English, the twenty-four-hour clock is, however, only used in official announcements, but not in ordinary speech.
Beispiel: 17:20 – twenty past five

For times around midnight or midday you can use the expressions midnight or midday / noon instead of the number 12.

Beispiel: 00:00 – midnight

Beispiel: 12:00 – midday or noon

To make clear (where necessary) whether you mean a time before 12 o’clock noon or after, you can use in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night. Use in the morning before 12 o’clock noon, after 12 o’clock noon use in the afternoon. When to change from afternoon to evening, from evening to night and from night to morning depends on your sense of time.

Example: 3:15 – a quarter past three in the morning OR a quarter past three at night

More formal expressions to indicate whether a time is before noon or after are a.m. (also: am – ante meridiem, before noon) and p.m. (also: pm – post meridiem, after noon). Use these expression only with the formal way of telling the time.

Example: 3:15 – three fifteen a.m.

It is not usual to use a.m. and p.m. with past/to.

Example: 3:15 – fifteen minutes past three OR a quarter past three

American English:

Instead of past Americans often use after.

Example: 06:10 – ten past/after six

But: in time expressions with half past it is not usual to replace past by after.

Instead of to Americans often use before, of or till.

Example: 05:50 – ten to/before/of/till six

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Vocabulary quiz : Food, shops and shopping

1) You eat breakfast in the morning. Which meal do you usually eat between 12 – 2 in the afternoon?

2) Which of the following is not a fruit?

Grape – Cucumber – Pear

3) What colour is a strawberry?

4) Which of these vegetables is not green?

Carrot – Cabbage – Lettuce

5) Match up the following shops with what you can buy in them.

Baker – Butcher – Furniture shop – Jeweller – Post office

A sofa – A stamp – Bread – Meat – A ring

6) We say a bottle of milk. What do we say for the following?

A p_______ of biscuits.

A t_______ of soup.

A l_______ of bread.

A b______ of matches.

7) Organise these into fruits or vegetables.

Banana – Leek – Lemon – Onion – Orange – Peas – Plum – Potato

8) My cousin works in a florist. What does she sell?

9) The meal was expensive. What’s the opposite of expensive?

10) At a restaurant, you normally have a starter, a ______course and a dessert.

a) chief b) main  c) biggest.

Answers:

1) lunch                               

2) cucumber      

3) red

4) carrot – it’s orange

5) baker = bread               butcher = meat                 furniture shop = sofa                     jeweller = ring

post office = stamp

6) A packet of biscuits    A tin of soup      A loaf of bread    A box of matches

7) Fruit = banana, lemon, orange, plum

Vegetables = leek, onion, peas, potato

8) flowers

9) cheap

10) main

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Complete the sentences with the correct adjective. (Answers are at the bottom of the page)

Adjectives:

generous – grateful – honest – independent – jealous – lively – mature – miserable – patient – popular – proud – relaxed – reliable – sensible – superficial – warm – weird

Sentences:

1. She doesn’t think about anything seriously or have any deep thoughts, she’s so ___________.
2. He’s always _________. He’s never in a hurry and he’s always calm.
3. She’s the most ________  girl in school, everybody likes her.
4. He’s very _________. If he say’s he’ll do something, he does it.
5. She always tells the truth. She’s very _________ .
6. He’s a very ________ teacher. He doesn’t get angry even when he has to repeat something three times.
7. They were very __________ when we said they could stay in our house while we were away.
8. He never drinks and drives. He’s too _______ to do something silly like that.
9. She’s going to travel around the world for six months on her own. She must be very ___________.
10. She always has fun at parties because she’s so bright and _______.
11. He never smiles and always looks ________. I don’t know what his problem is.
12. She’s only seventeen but she seems much older. She’s very ______ for her age.
13. He makes her ________ when he looks at other girls.
14. She looks _______. Why does she wear such strange clothes?
15. They’re very rich but they are also really _______ with their money. They give wonderful presents.
16. He got 100% in all his exams. His parents are really _______ of him.
17. She’s always ______ and friendly. You always feel welcome at her house.

(Answers: 1. superficial; 2. relaxed; 3. popular; 4. reliable; 5. honest; 6. patient; 7. grateful; 8. sensible; 9. independent; 10. lively; 11. miserable; 12. mature; 13. jealous; 14. weird; 15. generous; 16. proud; 17. warm)

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