Couldn't help but notice... » Time

Does anybody really know what time it is?

canproofread — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 06:00:23 +0000

Spell out the time of day when it is on a quarter hour or half hour.
He gets up at six thirty every morning.

Spell out the time when using o’clock.
The meeting is at seven o’clock.

Use numerals when an exact time is being emphasized.
The flight leaves at 8:23.

Use numerals when using a.m. or p.m.
The ceremony will be at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Use noon and midnight instead of 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.
The luncheon will be at noon on Friday.

Happy New Year!

canproofread — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 06:00:35 +0000

My first post to this blog was on June 19, 2009. Today starts a new year for this blog.

I find these posts beneficial. They have provided me with an education and a reference. Hopefully they have been helpful to others. I am surprised that I have been able to come up with grammar information for this long. It will be interesting to see how much longer this goes.

Here is a list of all the anniversary terms:
1 year             Annual
2 years           Biennial
3 years           Triennial
4 years           Quadrennial
5 years           Quinquennial
6 years           Sexennial
7 years           Septennial
8 years           Octennial
9 years           Novennial
10 years         Decennial
11 years         Undecennial
12 years         Duodecennial
13 years         Tredecennial
14 years         Quattuordecennial
15 years         Quindecennial
20 years         Vigintennial
50 years         Semicentennial
75 years         Dodranscentennial
100 years       Centennial
125 years       Quasquicentennial
150 years       Sesquicentennial
175 years       Dodransbicentennial
200 years       Bicentennial
250 years       Sestercentennial
300 years       Tercentennial
350 years       Sesquarcentennial
400 years       Quadricentennial
500 years       Quincentennial
600 years       Sexcentennial
700 years       Septicentennial
800 years       Octocentennial
900 years       Nonacentennial
1000 years     Millennial
2000 years     Bimillennial
Taken from Wikipedia (anniversary)

See this previous post for anniversaries less than a year.

Daylight Saving Time is the proper term

canproofread — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:00:45 +0000

It is incorrect to use savings in the description.

Here is a portion of the history taken from the U. S. Naval Observatory site. It should be very accurate since “[they are] charged with maintaining the DoD reference for Precise Time and Time Interval.” … Although standard time in time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads in 1883, it was not established in U.S. law until the Act of March 19, 1918, sometimes called the Standard Time Act. The act also established daylight saving time, a contentious idea then. … Beginning in 2007, daylight time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

This is the link if you would like to read the complete history.

Have a good ante meridiem!

canproofread — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:12 +0000

a.m. is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase ante meridiem which means before noon.

p.m. is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase post meridiem which means after noon.

11:00 p.m. is one hour before midnight
11:59 p.m. is one minute before midnight
12:00 midnight (even if your digital clock shows 12:00 a.m.)
12:01 a.m. is a minute past midnight
1:00 a.m. is an hour past midnight

11:00 a.m. is one hour before noon
11:59 a.m. is one minute before noon
12:00 p.m. noon (even if your digital clock shows 12:00 p.m.)
12:01 p.m. is a minute past noon
1:00 p.m. is an hour past noon

There is no need to say morning, afternoon, evening or night after using a.m. or p.m.
Incorrect: The meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. in the morning.
Correct: The meeting will be at 11:30 a.m.
Correct: The meeting will be at 11:30 in the morning.

Note: When a sentence ends with an abbreviation you do not need another period.