Telling the time

SteveJW

Can people no longer tell the time or does it no longer matter

Just listened to the news on ITV, newsreader announced it's nearly 7 o'clock

The other day I heard someone ask for the time, they were told it's nearly twenty to one

Maybe the train standing at platform 7 is the nearly 5 to 1

Maybe they can no longer tell the time on an analogue clock / watch

LightFlare

Nearly....

pramsay13

It sounds as though they are able to tell the time but just rounding up or down.

If I ask someone for the time I prefer it's almost 7pm rather than 6.57pm and if I need an exact time I'll ask for clarification.

Bridlington1

I must admit I usually say ``it's about 10 o'clock" rather than 9:58. I can still read using analogue clocks and frequently do so but in many circumstances (at least the ones I find myself in) I don't see much added value in giving a time more precise than give or take a few minutes. Plus it's not uncommon for watches, clocks etc to be a minute or two out either way so a precise time doesn't always give a more accurate answer.

Abbafan1972

I haven’t really noticed the above to be honest, but one thing that riles me is when presenters say “we will be back tomorrow morning at 5am. Surely it’s either/or “we will be back tomorrow morning at 5” or “we will be back tomorrow at 5am”. 

Perhaps people nowadays don’t know the difference between am & pm? 

Pollycat

I have several small dress watches that do not have any numbers on.
So although I've been able to tell the time for over 65 years, I can't give the time accurately to the minute/second with those watches. 

I really can't see the problem with saying 'it's nearly 20 to one' rather than 'it's twelve forty two'.
Does it really matter that much to the person asking the time?
Probably not.

SteveJW

I always struggled with am and pm, that's why I prefer to use the 24 hour format, and no I'm not ex-military

But many people don't understand the 24 hour format

Steve

Abbafan1972 said:

Perhaps people nowadays don’t know the difference between am & pm?

I always struggled with am and pm, that's why I prefer to use the 24 hour format, and no I'm not ex-military

But many people don't understand the 24 hour format

Steve

DullGreyGuy

SteveJW said:

I always struggled with am and pm, that's why I prefer to use the 24 hour format, and no I'm not ex-military

But many people don't understand the 24 hour format

Steve

Abbafan1972 said:

Perhaps people nowadays don’t know the difference between am & pm?

I always struggled with am and pm, that's why I prefer to use the 24 hour format, and no I'm not ex-military

But many people don't understand the 24 hour format

Steve

There is only 2 times that are difficult with AM/PM and thats 12:00

There is also still the potential for confusion if you write in 24hr clock because from 10:00 to 12:59 you cannot tell if its in 24 hour clock or 12 hour clock without further reference. When speaking I find the 24hr clock sounds somewhat odd... "five am" sounds better to me than "oh five hundred hours" and you need the leading 0 to identify its morning in the 24hr clock. 

oldagetraveller1

"There is only 2 times that are difficult with AM/PM and thats 12:00"

It shouldn't pose a problem because it's either 12 Noon or 12 Midnight.

There's an anticlockwise wall clock in my living room, now that really does cause some headscratching.

Andy_L

SteveJW said:

Can people no longer tell the time or does it no longer matter

Just listened to the news on ITV, newsreader announced it's nearly 7 o'clock

The other day I heard someone ask for the time, they were told it's nearly twenty to one

Maybe the train standing at platform 7 is the nearly 5 to 1

Maybe they can no longer tell the time on an analogue clock / watch

IME analogue time has always been "about" "almost" "just gone" "coming up to" a round number. Its only with digital that people started saying, eg, "eleven thirty seven" unless it was in a military environment (which required regular time hacks and/or pricey watches to make sure everyone was on the same time)

saajan_12

What makes you think its CAN'T tell the time as opposed to INTENTIONALLY find it more helpful to round the numbers .The same way as we say that house is 3 miles or 5km away, not 2 miles and 1542 yards away or 4km 629m