@[email protected] to ShowerthoughtsEnglish • 8 months agoI hear phrases like "half-past", "quarter til", and "quarter after" way less often since digital clocks have became more commonplace.message-square169fedilinkarrow-up1451arrow-down120
arrow-up1431arrow-down1message-squareI hear phrases like "half-past", "quarter til", and "quarter after" way less often since digital clocks have became more commonplace.@[email protected] to ShowerthoughtsEnglish • 8 months agomessage-square169fedilink
minus-square@RememberTheApollo_link10•8 months agoI generally avoided use of the quarter/half shorthand because people often say it with no context. “What time is it?” “Half past.” Half past what? Sort of an assumption that the asker has a clue what hour it is, but if they knew, why would they ask the time? I’m not sad to see the phrases go.
minus-squareMetype linkEnglish17•8 months agoNever actually heard anyone exclude the hour, it’s always “half past 3”, “quarter to 8”, “5 till 6”, etc
minus-square@[email protected]linkfedilink6•8 months agoThat’s why people usually say Half past 5, in my experience anyway.
minus-square@BradleyUffnerlinkEnglish1•8 months agoMy childhood was filled with people doing that. It drove me nuts.
I generally avoided use of the quarter/half shorthand because people often say it with no context.
“What time is it?”
“Half past.”
Half past what? Sort of an assumption that the asker has a clue what hour it is, but if they knew, why would they ask the time?
I’m not sad to see the phrases go.
Never actually heard anyone exclude the hour, it’s always “half past 3”, “quarter to 8”, “5 till 6”, etc
That’s why people usually say Half past 5, in my experience anyway.
My childhood was filled with people doing that. It drove me nuts.