Time and Dates

There are seven days in a week. The first day of the week is Sunday. The last day of the week is Saturday. The other days of the week are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Monday is the second day, Tuesday is the third day, Wednesday is the fourth day, Thursday is the fifth day and Friday is the sixth day. Saturday is the seventh day of the week.

There are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year. Seven days make a week. Two weeks or fourteen days make a fortnight. People usually do not work on Sunday. When do people usually work? People work all the other days of the week. Do you rest on Sunday? Yes, you do. All the days of the week are week-days.

There are twelve months in a year. They are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, Septem­ber, October, November, December. January is the first month and December is the twelfth month or the last month of a year.

Today is Wednesday. What is the date? Today is Wednesday, the seventeenth of February. What was yester­day? Yesterday was Tuesday, the sixteenth of February. And tomorrow? Tomorrow will be Thursday, the eigh­teenth of January.

Time is indicated in many ways. The day is divided into 2 twelve-hour periods. We call them as a.m. (Latin: ante meridiem, i.e. before midday — noon) and p.m. (Latin: post meridiem, i.e. after midday — noon).

The time of the day is not the same in different coun­tries and places.

What do we do if we want to know the time? If we want to know the time we look at the watch or clock or at the alarm-clock.

There are two hands on the face of the clock. One hand is long and the other hand is short. The long hand is the minute hand. The short hand is the hour hand.

If you want to know the time you look at your watch, at a clock or may ask: " What time is it? " or " What is the time?" The answer may be: " It is five (o'clock) sharp.";

Sixty minutes make an hour. From one o'clock to two o'clock is one hour. From one o'clock to six o'clock is five hours. There are twenty-four hours in a day.

I've got a nice little watch. It usually keeps good time but sometimes it is slow. When my watch is slow I must take it to a watchmaker. He can repair, clean and regulate it. I don't like when my watch is fast, too.

 

In case you have no watch about you and want to know the time, you address anyone near using one of these expressions:

Can you tell me the time, please?

Would you mind telling me the time?

What time is it, please?

What's the time?

What time is it by your watch? (What's your time?)

What time do you make it? (I make it only ten to three).

What time do you think it is?

How goes the enemy?

 

Replies may be:

(By my watch) it is (just) three, five... (o'clock) sharp.

6. 05 - It is five minutes past six.

6. 15 - It is a quarter past six.

6. 30 - It is half past six.

My watch says half past six.

4. 40 - It is twenty five minutes to five.

7. 50 - It is ten minutes to eight.

9. 45 – It is a quarter to ten.

 

Instead of giving the exact number of minutes, you may indicate time in the following way:

It is about 2 (nearly 2, getting around 2, very near (close upon) 2, about to strike 2, not quite 2, 2 at the latest).

It's just 2. (It has just struck 2. It has just gone 2). It is past (after) 2.

We can also say:

at 4, at 4 o'clock sharp, on the stroke of 4, punctually at 4, exactly at 4, at about 4, shortly after 4.

 

To express the time or period of the day we may use the following expressions: at dawn, at day-break, at break of day, at sunrise;

(early) in the morning;

at eight (o'clock) in the morning, at 8 a.m.;

at noon (midday), at 12 noon;

at two (o'clock) in the afternoon, at 2 p.m.;

in the day-time, in broad daylight, by day;

at the close of (the) day;

at dusk, at twilight;

at nightfall;

at night;

at (12) midnight; all day long;

in the course of (during) the day; from (early) morning till (late at) night.

 

Exercise 10. Read the text and retell it in English: