Telling the time and dates: what time is it? Telling the time exercises for A1 classes
About this lesson
This A1 drill lesson gives telling the time exercises in two styles (ten thirty, half past ten), then ordinal numbers and dates the American way: May 5, 2026, said May fifth.
- Grammar
- It's + the numbers or minutes + after / to + the hour, a.m., p.m., noon and midnight, ordinal spellings like fifth and twelfth, years in two halves, and at, on, in.
- Topic
- Twins Maya and Jacob's party and movie night at an invented theater: their invitation, a chat with cousin Lily, Lily's message to her mom and the theater's notice.
- Activities
- Matching, sorting, tables, gap-fills, anagrams, memory games, drag-and-drop texts, quizzes, Jacob's chat and a final test.
What's inside
Chapter 1The rule
Chapter 2What time is it?
- Match the times and the wordsMatchTry it
- Fill in the table: two ways to say the timeFill in the tableUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: what time is it?Drag and dropUnlock
- Choose a.m., p.m., noon or midnightChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the times in wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock
Chapter 3First, second, third
- Sort the numbers: -st, -nd, -rd or -th?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: short and long formsMemory gameUnlock
- Choose the right spellingChoose the optionTry it
- Unscramble the ordinal numbersAnagramUnlock
- Write the ordinal numbers in wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the race results and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
Chapter 4Dates the American way
- Drag the months into the gaps: month first!Drag and dropTry it
- Fill in the table: write and say the datesFill in the tableUnlock
- Write the years in wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose at, on or inChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the dates the way we say themFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in order to make questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the right answer: questions about datesQuizUnlock
Chapter 5Real life: Movie night and a birthday party
- Read Maya and Jacob's invitationReal-life documentUnlock
- Read the invitation again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
- Read the group chat and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the invitation again and drag the words into Lily's messageDrag and dropUnlock
- Read the movie theater's notice and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right replies: Jacob texts youChatTry it
- Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Choose the right words for the timesChoose the optionUnlock
- Write the times in words: the beach busFill in the gapsUnlock
- Sort the times: after or to?Sort into columnsUnlock
- Match the times: a.m., p.m., noon and midnightMatchUnlock
- Fill in the table: more clock timesFill in the tableUnlock
- Unscramble the words: more ordinal numbersAnagramUnlock
- Write the ordinal numbers: a beach vacationFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the right date: the American wayChoose the optionUnlock
- Choose at, on or in: the school yearChoose the optionUnlock
- Find the matching pairs: yearsMemory gameUnlock
- Put the words in the right order: questionsUnjumbleUnlock
- Mark true or false: is the sentence correct?True or falseUnlock
- Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock
- Read the dentist's reminder and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Read the note for the babysitter and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
Grammar: telling the time and saying dates
American English says the time two ways: with the numbers (ten fifteen) or with after / to and the hour (a quarter after ten). Dates need ordinal numbers and go month first, in writing and in speech: May 5, 2026 is said May fifth, twenty twenty-six.
Telling the time and dates: what time is it?
Say the time two ways, use a.m. and p.m., say ordinal numbers, and write dates the American way: month first.
It's + minutes + after / to + the hour
Up to half past, count the minutes after the hour: ten after six, a quarter after four, half past ten. After that, count to the next hour: twenty to nine, a quarter to eleven. The numbers way always works: ten forty-five. Use o'clock only for a full hour.
It's + minutes + after / to + the hour
It'sminutesafter / tothe hour
It's ten after six.
It's twenty to nine.
It's a quarter after four.
What time is it? Two ways to say it
| Time | Say the numbers | Or say |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 | It's ten o'clock. | It's ten. |
| 10:05 | It's ten oh five. | It's five after ten. · five past ten |
| 10:15 | It's ten fifteen. | It's a quarter after ten. · a quarter past ten |
| 10:30 | It's ten thirty. | It's half past ten. |
| 10:40 | It's ten forty. | It's twenty to eleven. · twenty of eleven |
| 10:45 | It's ten forty-five. | It's a quarter to eleven. · a quarter of eleven |
| 12:00 p.m. | It's twelve o'clock. | It's noon. |
| 12:00 a.m. | It's twelve o'clock. | It's midnight. |
| 7:00 a.m. | It's seven a.m. | It's seven in the morning. |
| 3:30 p.m. | It's three thirty p.m. | It's three thirty in the afternoon. |
| 8:00 p.m. | It's eight p.m. | It's eight in the evening. |
Past, of, a.m. and p.m.
American English also says past for after and of for to: a quarter past ten, twenty of eleven. Before noon is a.m., after noon p.m., and 12:00 p.m. is noon. Two-word numbers from 21 to 99 take a hyphen: forty-five, twenty-first.
Month first! And more
Month first! In the US, 3/4/26 is March 4, 2026, not April 3. after = past, to = of: a quarter after ten = a quarter past ten; twenty to eleven = twenty of eleven. Say o'clock only with a full hour (not: ten thirty o'clock). a.m.: after midnight, before noon; p.m.: after noon. Write 21-99 with a hyphen: forty-five, twenty-first.
Ordinal numbers: first, second, third…
Most ordinals add -th: fourth, sixth, thirteenth. The first three are different, and some change their spelling: fifth, eighth, ninth, twelfth, twentieth. 11th, 12th and 13th always end in -th, but it's 21st, 22nd and 23rd.
| Number | Ordinal | Look! |
|---|---|---|
| 1 → 1st | first | -st |
| 2 → 2nd | second | -nd (not: secondth, twoth) |
| 3 → 3rd | third | -rd (not: threeth) |
| 4 → 4th | fourth | + th: sixth, seventh, tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, nineteenth |
| 5 → 5th | fifth | five → fifth (not: fiveth) |
| 8 → 8th | eighth | eight + h (not: eightth) |
| 9 → 9th | ninth | nine → ninth, no e (not: nineth) |
| 11 → 11th | eleventh | 11th, 12th, 13th: always -th (not: 11st, 12nd, 13rd) |
| 12 → 12th | twelfth | twelve → twelfth (not: twelveth) |
| 20 → 20th | twentieth | twenty → twentieth (not: twentyth) · 30th: thirtieth |
| 21 → 21st | twenty-first | 22nd twenty-second · 23rd twenty-third · 31st thirty-first |
Dates the American way
Write the month first, May 5, 2026 or 5/5/26, and say the day as an ordinal: May fifth. So 3/4/26 is March 4, not April 3. A year is said in two halves: 1999 is nineteen ninety-nine, and 2026 is twenty twenty-six.
| We write | We say | Look! |
|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2026 | May fifth, twenty twenty-six | month · day · year |
| May 5th | May fifth | 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th… |
| 5/5/26 | May fifth, twenty twenty-six | numbers: month / day / year |
| 3/4/26 | March fourth, twenty twenty-six | month first! (not: April 3rd) |
| 1999 | nineteen ninety-nine | a year is two numbers: 19 · 99 |
| 2026 | twenty twenty-six | 20 · 26 |
At, on, in and common mistakes
Use at with a time (at 7:15, at noon), on with a day or a date (on May 5) and in with a month or a year (in June, in 2026). There's no and in a time: ten fifteen, not ten and fifteen or ten and a half.
at, on, in
at + a time
- at 6:45 · at a quarter to six · at noon · at midnight
- The movie starts at 7:15 p.m.
- not: in 7:30, at the noon
on + a day or a date
- on Saturday · on July 4th · on May 5
- The party is on Saturday, June 13th.
- not: in May 5
in + a month or a year
- in June · in October · in 2026
- My birthday is in May.
- not: on May, at 2026
Common mistakes
It's ten and fifteen.
It's ten fifteen. / It's a quarter after ten.
no and in a time
It's ten and a half.
It's ten thirty. / It's half past ten.
thirty or half past (not: half to eleven)
It's half eleven. (for 10:30)
It's ten thirty. / It's half past ten.
In British English, half eleven is 11:30, not 10:30. Don't use it.
The party is in May 5.
The party is on May 5.
on + a date · in + a month: in May
Examples
- What time is it? — It's a quarter after four.4:15
- What's the time? — It's seven thirty.7:30
- School starts at 8 a.m., and lunch is at noon.8:00 in the morning · 12:00 in the middle of the day
- What's the date today? — It's June 3rd.say: June third
- When's your birthday? — It's on May 21st. / In May.say: May twenty-first
- My mom was born in 1985.say: nineteen eighty-five
Try the telling the time exercises
Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.
What's in the lesson
- 38 auto-checked exercises
- 6 games
- 1 real-life document
- 1 grammar scheme
- 1 picture
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- say a clock time two ways: It's seven fifteen. It's a quarter after seven. It's twenty to nine.
- use a.m., p.m., noon and midnight: We have breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We eat lunch at noon, not at the noon
- spell and say ordinal numbers: fifth, ninth, twelfth, twentieth, twenty-first, not fiveth or twelveth
- write dates month first and say them with an ordinal: 3/4/26 is March fourth, twenty twenty-six
- use at with times, on with days and dates and in with months and years: The party is on Saturday, June 13th.
Telling the time and dates: what time is it? closes English Grammar Practice · A1 as lesson 24 of 24. With no grammar hub of its own, it appears on the English grammar page. Lesson 23, Was and were: where were you yesterday?, comes before it, and the series goes on with lesson 1 of English Grammar Practice · A2, Past simple with -ed: moving day! No new words come with it, so it can sit beside any course.
The rule chapter has a picture, the scheme and four drills: true or false, an at / on / in sort, a time choice and times to write in numbers. What time is it? matches, tables and drags clock times, adds a.m., p.m., noon and midnight, then a find-the-mistake quiz. First, second, third drills ordinal spelling, from a sort to race results. Dates the American way puts the month first and says years in words. In the real-life chapter, students read Maya and Jacob's invitation, complete a group chat, Lily's message and a theater notice, answer Jacob's invitation in the chat and take a 12-question test.
All 15 homework tasks check themselves, with fresh sentences: times for a beach bus, an after-or-to sort, a.m. and p.m. pairs, a table of clock times, ordinals in an anagram and on a beach vacation, US dates, at, on or in through the school year, a memory game of years, questions to order, a dentist's reminder and a babysitter's note.
- Grammar:
- telling the time · ordinal numbers · dates · a.m. / p.m. · at / on / in
- Topic:
- grammar practice · time · dates · birthday party · movies
Teaching tips
- Use a classroom clock, real or drawn: move the hands, and half the class says the numbers way (four forty-five) while the other half says the after / to way (a quarter to five).
- Write a date both ways on the board, 3/4 and 4/3, and ask which one is in March. It sets up the month-first drag-and-drop in chapter 4.
- Collect the class birthdays: each student says My birthday is on May twenty-first, and the class writes it month first, 5/21. Then students line up in birthday order.
- Say the ordinals aloud before the spelling drills: fifth, eighth, ninth, twelfth. Ask what changed from five, eight, nine and twelve.
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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · A1
English Grammar Practice · A1 has 24 drill lessons for adult beginners, one grammar point each, from the verb to be and the present simple to can, was and were and telling the time. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words, so it works next to any course.See the course
- 1To be: I am, you are, she is
- 2To be negatives and questions: is it your bag?
- 3Subject pronouns and possessive adjectives: I, my, she, her
- 4This, that, these, those: what's this?
- 5Plural nouns: one box, two boxes
- 6A, an, the: a new apartment
- 7There is, there are: what's in the hotel?
- 8Have and has: she has a dog
- 9Present simple: she works, they work
- 10Present simple: don't, doesn't, do you…?
- 11Adverbs of frequency: always, usually, never
- 12In, on, at: times, days and months
- 13Prepositions of place: in, on, under, next to
- 14Can and can't: I can swim
- 15Imperatives: open, don't run, let's go
- 16Object pronouns: me, him, her, them
- 17Possessive 's: whose bag is this?
- 18Present continuous: what's happening now?
- 19Present simple or present continuous: every day or now?
- 20Like, love, hate + -ing: I love dancing
- 21Wh- questions: what, where, when, why?
- 22Countable and uncountable nouns: some, any, how much?
- 23Was and were: where were you yesterday?
- 24Telling the time and dates: what time is it?