Telling the time

 Telling time involves expressing the current time in terms of hours

, minutes, and sometimes seconds. There are two common formats for representing time: analog and digital.

Analog Clocks:

Read the Hour:

Identify the longer hand (hour hand) on the clock.

Determine which number it is pointing to. This indicates the hour.

Read the Minutes:

Identify the shorter hand (minute hand) on the clock.

Determine which number it is pointing to or closest to.

If the minute hand is directly on the 12, use that as the reference point for the minutes.

Combine the Hour and Minutes:

State the hour first, followed by the word "o'clock."

Example: If the hour hand is on 3 and the minute hand is on 12, you say, "It's three o'clock."

Read Minutes Past the Hour:

If the minute hand is pointing to a number other than 12, use the number it points to and say "minutes past."

Example: If the hour hand is on 2 and the minute hand is on 6, you say, "It's two minutes past two."

Read Minutes to the Next Hour:

If the minute hand is pointing between the numbers and 12, use the number it points to and say "minutes to."

Example: If the hour hand is on 4 and the minute hand is on 9, you say, "It's nine minutes to four."

Digital Clocks:

Read the Hours:

Look at the first two digits on a digital clock. These represent the hours.

Read the Minutes:

Look at the last two digits on a digital clock. These represent the minutes.

Combine the Hours and Minutes:

State the hours first, followed by a colon, and then the minutes.

Example: If it's 3:30, you say, "It's three thirty."

Indicate Morning or Afternoon:

If it's before noon, you say "a.m." (ante meridiem). If it's after noon, you say "p.m." (post meridiem).

Example: 10:45 a.m. is read as "ten forty-five in the morning."

Common Phrases:

"Midnight" and "Noon":

Use "midnight" for 12:00 a.m. and "noon" for 12:00 p.m.

"Quarter Past" and "Quarter To":

Use "quarter past" for 15 minutes past the hour and "quarter to" for 15 minutes before the next hour.

"Half Past":

Use "half past" for 30 minutes past the hour.

Remember, practicing regularly with both analog and digital clocks will improve your ability to tell time quickly and accurately.