Ago two previous post about my learning English I spoke that the basics things in whatever language are important, an d when I say basics I am referring to structures, expressions that we can use daily: Like some questions or specifics words in determine contexts. It means that this post would, can go after the previous one with the same name, if you want to have an order more exact, But I've learned that it isn't realm important because it's the concrete use of a language which will make a notable different on us.
With these post, I only want to show you my way in this amazing travel of improving in a language.
Dates and time
When we think in the dates, the thing more important here is we have to use the ordinals numbers and not the cardinals, because with the first we order the days and the second one we count quantities. Also, we use a different format, so: month/days/year (in case is necessary). Another interesting point is that when we're referring just to a month we use the "in" preposition, but when we are specific with the day we use "on" preposition.
- Examples: When is your birthday? My birthday is on December twenty-fourth. Yes, in December. // When is Saint Valentine’s Day? In my country is in February, exactly on February fourteenth.
Regarding the time, the main question here is: What time is it? But we can give different responses according to the cases:
If we want to give a exact hour, we use o'clock. For example, It's eleven o'clock.
If we want to refer to the first fifteen minutes, we use: quarter past with the current hour. For example, It's past quarter eleven. But if we want to refer to the left fifteen minutes, we use: quarter to with the next hour. For example; it's quarter to twelve. Finally, if we want to point that have passed thirty minutes, we use: half-past expression, so: It's half-past one.
If we're going to refer to minutes, we use the past preposition for the first thirty minutes and to for the last one. For example, It's ten past one, or it's twenty-one past three, and It's ten to four, or it's fourteen to six.
Prepositions of the time and of the place
Here I want to refer to three prepositions that are very useful as for referring to time as location. Before, we can say that the propositions of the place response to the question: Where is it? Or Where are they? While the prepositions of the time response to the question: When?.
In the first case we can use words like: beside, next to, above, behind, under, across, against,over, between, in front of, to the left or right, etc. There is things interesting like the difference use of the on and above, with the first we are referring that the object is touching the indicate surface, with the second one simply we indicate that is up, not necessarily touching the object.
- An example it would be, the cup of coffee is on the table and the lamp is above it.
In the second case with the time prepositions, the most interesting is the use of the on, in and at. If we are referring to the general context, like centuries, decades, years, months, weeks, we use in. For example, in the 19th century; if we pointing a more specific one, like days, we use on. For example, We are going to the beach on the weekend. Finally, in we are referring to very specific context, like an hour, we use at. For example, we are going to meet us at three o'clock.
It's the same when we point a location, if it's big, like a country, a city or neighborhood, we use in. For example, In Barquisimeto the most we are music lovers. If it's smaller, like, an avenue, streets, floors, we use on. For example, we live in that building on the nineth floor. Finally, if the place is a specific location we useat, for example, she is at the store.
List of my previous learning English posts:
