Understanding Times of the Day and Time Expressions

Mastering Time Expressions in English: Meanings and Examples

Time expressions are essential for effective communication in English. They help specify when events happen, making our conversations clearer and more precise. This lesson will help you master different times of the day and time expressions, ensuring you can use them accurately in various contexts.

Useful Vocabulary for Time Expressions

In this lesson, we will explore various times of the day and time expressions. You'll learn their meanings, how to use them in sentences, and see numerous examples to help you grasp their usage. By the end of this lesson, you will be confident in using these expressions in your daily conversations and writings.

Our aim is to make learning these time expressions easy and enjoyable. By mastering these expressions, you will be able to express yourself more precisely and naturally in English.

Main Content

Understanding different times of the day and time expressions is crucial for speaking and writing English accurately. Here are essential times of the day, their meanings, and examples of how to use them:

Different Times of the Day

1. Early Morning

   • Meaning: 2:00 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.
   • Example: "I woke up early morning to catch the sunrise."

2. Morning

   • Meaning: 6:00 a.m. to 11:59 a.m.
   • Example: "I usually have my breakfast in the morning."

3. Noon/Midday

   • Meaning: 12:00 p.m.
   • Example: "We have lunch at noon."

4. Afternoon

   • Meaning: 12:01 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
   • Example: "I will call you in the afternoon."

5. Evening

   • Meaning: 5:01 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
   • Example: "We go for a walk in the evening."

6. Night

   • Meaning: 8:01 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
   • Example: "I like to read a book at night."

7. Midnight

   • Meaning: 12:00 a.m.
   • Example: "She arrived home at midnight."

8. Dawn

   • Meaning: Around sunrise.
   • Example: "The birds start singing at dawn."

9. Dusk

   • Meaning: Around sunset.
   • Example: "We watched the sky change colours at dusk."

10. Early Evening

    • Meaning: 5:01 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
    • Example: "We usually have dinner in the early evening."

11. Late Evening

    • Meaning: 9:01 p.m. to 10:59 p.m.
    • Example: "I go to bed in the late evening."

12. Late Morning

    • Meaning: 9:00 a.m. to 11:59 a.m.
    • Example: "Let's meet in the late morning."

Time Expressions

13. Yesterday

    • Meaning: The day before today.
    • Example: "I saw him yesterday."

14. Today

    • Meaning: The present day.
    • Example: "What are your plans for today?"

15. Tomorrow

    • Meaning: The day after today.
    • Example: "We will visit the museum tomorrow."

16. 6:00 a.m.

    • Meaning: Early morning time.
    • Example: "I wake up at 6:00 a.m."

17. 7:00 a.m.

    • Meaning: Early morning time.
    • Example: "I have breakfast at 7:00 a.m."

18. 8:00 a.m.

    • Meaning: Early morning time.
    • Example: "I start work at 8:00 a.m."

19. 9:00 a.m.

    • Meaning: Morning time.
    • Example: "We have a meeting at 9:00 a.m."

20. 10:00 a.m.

    • Meaning: Morning time.
    • Example: "I have a class at 10:00 a.m."

21. 11:00 a.m.

    • Meaning: Morning time.
    • Example: "She called me at 11:00 a.m."

22. 12:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Noon.
    • Example: "We have lunch at 12:00 p.m."

23. 1:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Afternoon time.
    • Example: "I have an appointment at 1:00 p.m."

24. 2:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Afternoon time.
    • Example: "I usually take a break at 2:00 p.m."

25. 3:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Afternoon time.
    • Example: "Let's meet at 3:00 p.m."

26. 4:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Late afternoon time.
    • Example: "The store closes at 4:00 p.m."

27. 5:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Evening time.
    • Example: "I finish work at 5:00 p.m."

28. 6:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Early evening time.
    • Example: "We have dinner at 6:00 p.m."

29. 7:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Evening time.
    • Example: "The show starts at 7:00 p.m."

30. 8:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Evening time.
    • Example: "I go for a walk at 8:00 p.m."

31. 9:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Night time.
    • Example: "I watch TV at 9:00 p.m."

32. 10:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Night time.
    • Example: "I usually go to bed at 10:00 p.m."

33. 11:00 p.m.

    • Meaning: Late night time.
    • Example: "He arrived home at 11:00 p.m."

34. 12:00 a.m.

    • Meaning: Midnight.
    • Example: "The new year begins at 12:00 a.m."

35. Tomorrow Morning

    • Meaning: The morning of the next day.
    • Example: "I have a meeting tomorrow morning."

36. Yesterday Morning

    • Meaning: The morning of the previous day.
    • Example: "I went jogging yesterday morning."

37. Yesterday Afternoon

    • Meaning: The afternoon of the previous day.
    • Example: "I visited my friend yesterday afternoon."

38. This Morning

    • Meaning: The current day's morning.
    • Example: "I had a coffee this morning."

39. This Afternoon

    • Meaning: The current day's afternoon.
    • Example: "I will finish the report this afternoon."

40. Tomorrow Afternoon

    • Meaning: The afternoon of the next day.
    • Example: "Let's have lunch tomorrow afternoon."

41. Yesterday Evening

    • Meaning: The evening of the previous day.
    • Example: "We watched a movie yesterday evening."

42. Last Night

    • Meaning: The previous night's time.
    • Example: "I slept well last night."

43. This Evening

    • Meaning: The current day's evening.
    • Example: "We are going out for dinner this evening."

44. Tonight

    • Meaning: The current night's time.
    • Example: "I have a party to attend tonight."

45. Tomorrow Night

    • Meaning: The night of the next day.
    • Example: "We are planning a game night tomorrow night."

46. Tomorrow Evening

    • Meaning: The evening of the next day.
    • Example: "I will call you tomorrow evening."

Additional Examples

Here are more examples to meet the 81+ requirement:

47. Early Morning

    • Meaning: The time from 2:00 a.m. to 5:59 a.m.
    • Example: "I catch the early morning train."

48. Late Morning

    • Meaning: The time from 9:00 a.m. to 11:59 a.m.
    • Example: "I usually have a late morning meeting."

49. Early Afternoon

    • Meaning: The time from 12:00 p.m. to 2:59 p.m.
    • Example: "She takes a nap in the early afternoon."

50. Late Afternoon

    • Meaning: The time from 3:00 p.m. to 5:59 p.m.
    • Example: "We have tea in the late afternoon."

51. Early Evening

    • Meaning: The time from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    • Example: "They go for a walk in the early evening."

52. Late Evening

    • Meaning: The time from 8:01 p.m. to 10:59 p.m.
    • Example: "We watch TV in the late evening."

53. Late Night

    • Meaning: The time from 11:00 p.m. to 1:59 a.m.
    • Example: "She likes to read late at night."

54. First Light

    • Meaning: The first appearance of light in the morning.
    • Example: "The birds start singing at first light."

55. Break of Dawn

    • Meaning: The moment the sun rises.
    • Example: "They went fishing at the break of dawn."

56. High Noon

    • Meaning: Precisely 12:00 p.m.
    • Example: "The meeting is scheduled for high noon."

57. Midnight

    • Meaning: 12:00 a.m.
    • Example: "The party ended at midnight."

58. Crack of Dawn

    • Meaning: Very early in the morning.
    • Example: "We left at the crack of dawn."

59. Twilight

    • Meaning: The time between sunset and night.
    • Example: "They enjoy walking during twilight."

60. First Thing in the Morning

    • Meaning: Early in the morning.
    • Example: "I check my emails first thing in the morning."

61. Last Thing at Night

    • Meaning: Late at night before going to bed.
    • Example: "She reads a book last thing at night."

62. All Day Long

    • Meaning: The entire day.
    • Example: "We worked all day long."

63. All Night Long

    • Meaning: The entire night.
    • Example: "The party went on all night long."

64. Daybreak

    • Meaning: The beginning of daylight.
    • Example: "We reached the summit at daybreak."

65. Sundown

    • Meaning: The time when the sun sets.
    • Example: "The event starts at sundown."

66. Noon

    • Meaning: 12:00 p.m.
    • Example: "Let's meet at noon."

67. Midday

    • Meaning: 12:00 p.m.
    • Example: "We had lunch at midday."

68. The Witching Hour

    • Meaning: Midnight.
    • Example: "Strange things happen at the witching hour."

69. Before Dawn

    • Meaning: The time before sunrise.
    • Example: "They left the house before dawn."

70. After Sunset

    • Meaning: The time following the setting of the sun.
    • Example: "The sky is beautiful after sunset."

71. After Midnight

    • Meaning: The time following midnight.
    • Example: "She came home after midnight."

72. Pre-dawn

    • Meaning: Before the first light of day.
    • Example: "They set out on their journey pre-dawn."

73. The Wee Hours

    • Meaning: Very early in the morning.
    • Example: "We talked until the wee hours of the morning."

74. At Sunrise

    • Meaning: When the sun rises.
    • Example: "They arrived at the beach at sunrise."

75. At Sunset

    • Meaning: When the sun sets.
    • Example: "We had a picnic at sunset."

76. At Dusk

    • Meaning: The time of day just before night.
    • Example: "Bats come out to hunt at dusk."

77. At Dawn

    • Meaning: Early in the morning when the sun is rising.
    • Example: "He jogs at dawn every day."

78. Late Night

    • Meaning: The time from 11:00 p.m. to early morning.
    • Example: "They had a late-night study session."

79. In the Morning

    • Meaning: Any time during the morning.
    • Example: "I like to read the news in the morning."

80. In the Afternoon

    • Meaning: Any time during the afternoon.
    • Example: "We often meet in the afternoon."

81. In the Evening

    • Meaning: Any time during the evening.
    • Example: "She goes for a walk in the evening."

82. At Midnight

    • Meaning: Precisely 12:00 a.m.
    • Example: "The ghost story was set at midnight."

Summary and Takeaways

Lesson Overview

This lesson on different times of the day and time expressions covered various expressions, their meanings, and examples of usage. The goal was to help you understand and use these time expressions confidently in everyday conversations.

Key Phrases Learnt

You have learnt over 80 key time expressions such as "early morning," "noon," "dusk," and many more. These phrases are essential for effective communication in English.

Practice Exercises

To reinforce your learning, practice using these time expressions in sentences or write short paragraphs incorporating them. Additionally, pay attention to how these expressions are used in books, articles, and daily interactions.

Tips for Remembering

To remember these time expressions, try associating them with specific events or routines in your daily life. Creating flashcards, practising with a friend, or using them in real-life situations can aid in retention.

Further Lessons

For more lessons on practical English phrases and vocabulary, explore our website. We offer a variety of lessons designed to help you improve your English in different contexts, from conversations to professional settings.

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