to think that 35 past 2 is not the new modern way of teaching the time?

[notnaice]

I have heard this twice now. The first time I just put it down to bad teaching/understanding at school. The second, from a supposedly educated 20 year old, made me wonder if I'm the one out of touch with modern teacing of telling the time.

You can't say 35 past 2 instead of 25 to 3, can you?

I'm also a supposedly educated 20 year old, and always say "25 to", never "35 past".

You're not out of touch

I'm out of touch with modern spelling obviously. I can't spell teaching

My dyslexic adult ds does this.
It takes me ages to convert 38 past into twenty to

I'd either say it's "2:35" or "25 to 3". 35 past 2 is a bit odd.

Learning to tell the time is quite difficult for children.
35 past 2 is not incorrect and easier to understand. Surely teaching that first is better than jumping from 25 past 2 suddenly to 25 to 3.
I also think teaching quarter past, half past etc is confusing - they learn that first but don't actually understand fractions until a year or two later.

Sure, LegsOfSteel, but you'd think (assuming NT) they'd have learned fractions by the age of 20

Oddly, I find it almost acceptable if you say 35 minutes past 2. I prefer 2:35 or 25 to 3.

I lived in Sheffield for a while and they used to say while instead of until so if I worked a morning shift, I did 7 while 11. That used to confuse the heck out of me.

My MIL always says '5 and 20 past' and '5 and 20 to' which I find a bit odd. Have never come across anyone else who says it like that.

I've never heard anyone say that before. If it's 25 past the hour, my nan says 'its 5 and 20 past' I always find that strange.

X post bensam

I know loads and loads of people who say 5 and 20 past.

Manatee yes, I'd hope they got it by the age of 20!
I know some yr 4 and yr 5 children still struggling with fractions and time - You can see it's so frustrating for them.

We say "past " We say "to". Or use the digital 3:38. That's how tell the time. Unless you have a child development reason for doing it another way, that's what children should be taught.

My mum does the 5 and 20 past/to as well. I think it's a generational thing - she's in her 80s and I've heard a few older people do it.

I love 5 and 20 past. So much more musical than saying 25 past. For some reason.

I used 'a sennight' in conversation the other day and no one knew what I was talking about. I'm mid 30's .

I use sennight but only when talking to my good friend who also uses it. I also tell people I'm much obliged and wish them many happy returns of the day. DH is reluctant to be seen out with me.

Where geographically soes sennight come from? (7 night i.e. a week??)

Bensam The entire population of Germany?

What's sennight?

I have a scottish client who says 'the back of 6'/ 'the back of 11' / 'the back of whatever'. what does this mean?! Does it mean just after 6/11 or just before 6/11 or a lot past/before 6/11/whatever?

I say the back of (I'm Scottish) and it can mean any time between quarter to the hour and quarter past, depending on what suits me. If I know I'm likely to be late, for example, I'll say the back of 11, say, and that gives me a bit of grace.

It means some sort of random time before or after the hour More likely after the hour but not always. Very useful phrase, I would plan for anything from 5.50 to 6.10 for the back of six.

Unlikely but is it an EAL thing with this adult, OP? I'm a teacher in a largely EAL school and the kids really struggle with all the quarters past/to and "twenty five to" thing. They all say the time as a digital readout ie "2.35". I assumed, when is ever thought about it, that all the "quarter past/twenty five to" thing was a peculiarity of the Enflush language. I'd welcome my theory being discredited by anyone who speaks a second language though

God, several typos there. I promise I'm not EAL OP

Isn't sennight the old english for 7 nights that fell out of favour because we also had the word week to use - whereas for 14 nights we didn't have another word to use so continued to use fortnight?

I've also fallen foul of the american 'a quarter of' when meeting up with some - I turned up well in advance of a quarter past happy that I was nice and early - but they were furious that I was so late because to them it was a quarter to. It was so obvious to me that a quarter of was a quarter past whilst the other way round was so obvious to them that it never occurred to either of us to check that we were actually agreeing to meet at the same time.

I've subsequently polled friends as to what they think it means - and it's about 2/3 think the same as me, 1/3 think it's the american way - so still lots of chance for confusion!