Hour, while the second hour indicates the minute

Grammar: How to tell time?

In English, time is usually (and most easily) told by saying two numbers. The first number indicates the hour, while the second hour indicates the minute. For example:

• 
  Two forty (2:40)
  
• 
  Eleven thirty (11:30)
  
• 
  Five twenty-five (5:25)
  
• 
  Nine thirteen (9:13)
  

What’s not common is to say something like TWO HOURS AND FORTY MINUTES, TWO AND FORTY, or FORTY AND TWO.

If the time is exactly on the hour, simply say the number of the hour, followed by the phrase O’CLOCK. (pronounced OH CLOCK). Here are all the possibilities:

• 
  One o’clock (1:00)
  
• 
  Two o’clock (2:00)
  
• 
  Three o’clock (3:00)
  
• 
  Four o’clock (4:00)
  
• 
  Five o’clock (5:00)
  
• 
  Six o’clock (6:00)
  
• 
  Seven o’clock (7:00)
  
• 
  Eight o’clock (8:00)
  
• 
  Nine o’clock (9:00)
  
• 
  Ten o’clock (10:00)
  
• 
  Eleven o’clock (11:00)
  
• 
  Twelve o’clock (12:00)
  

In most languages, there are shorthand ways of saying certain amounts of minutes, such as fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, or forty minutes. English has these as well, though you don’t always have to use them.

I personally always stick to the “hour minute” formula because it’s easier and simpler. Regardless, here are the shorthand phrases you’ll always hear, and you can choose whether or not you want to use them.
HALF PAST + hour
This indicates thirty minutes.

• 
  Half past one (1:30)
  
• 
  Half past five (5:30)
  
• 
  Half past eleven (11:30)
  

A QUARTER PAST + hour
This indicates fifteen minutes, since we are talking about a QUARTER of an hour (sixty minutes).

• 
  A quarter past two (2:15)
  
• 
  A quarter past seven (7:15)
  
• 
  A quarter past ten (10:15)
  

A QUARTER TO/TILL + hour
This indicates that there are fifteen minutes until the coming hour. In other words, it’s the current hour plus forty-five minutes.

• 
  A quarter to three (2:45)
  
• 
  A quarter till nine (8:45)
  
• 
  A quarter to twelve (11:45)
  

While you can state the time by saying the hour followed by the number of minutes, you can also reverse this using a similar formula to the one above. For example, instead of saying that it’s SIX FIFTY, you could say that it’s TEN TO SEVEN. This form is more preferable the less time there is remaining until the next hour.

• 
  Ten to four (3:50)
  
• 
  Fifteen till eleven (10:45)
  
• 
  Five to seven (6:55)
  

Note that this form is only really used with multiples of five. Otherwise, the subtraction gets too inconvenient to do in your head!

writing:
usually get up at 6.30 a.m. I make my bed, brush my teeth and go to the kitchen. Here my mother cooks breakfast for me. I have a sandwich with butter and cheese, two boiled eggs and a cup of tea. After breakfast, I put my clothes and go to school. I have classes till 12 o’clock and then I go home. I have dinner, watch TV, play games and do my homework. I also can go for a walk with my friends. At 6 o’clock I have supper with my family. Then we spend our spare time together: talk, play, watch movies or read books. At 10 o’clock I go to bed and my working day is over.