Grammar pedants - help please.
95 watchers
12 Apr
2:20pm, 12 Apr 2025
5,875 posts
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JCB
Perhaps 2400 and 0000 would make it clear. I've always thought 12am was the very start of the day. I have seen, to avoid ambiguity, the use of 11:59pm, such as on competition deadlines. |
12 Apr
3:39pm, 12 Apr 2025
23,489 posts
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ChrisHB
Italy uses 24:00, a time which I always learned did not exist.
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12 Apr
5:24pm, 12 Apr 2025
22,744 posts
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Columba
I am and always have been hopelessly confused about 12 a.m. and 12 p.m., and always use noon and midnight for clarity. As for days of the week, I'm inclined to say that tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the following Sunday is Easter Sunday. Avoiding "next". |
12 Apr
5:36pm, 12 Apr 2025
16,888 posts
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sallykate
We're running something at work at the moment with a deadline and are using 23:59 to avoid any confusion. I'm not sure I'm very consistent with this and next in the context of days. I might say "this Thursday" if I'm speaking on the Monday of the same week; if I'm speaking on the Friday, I might say "next Thursday" as it feels further away. |
12 Apr
6:07pm, 12 Apr 2025
22,749 posts
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Columba
Or "Thursday of next week"?
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12 Apr
6:22pm, 12 Apr 2025
5,876 posts
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JCB
Does this stem from confusion of when a week starts? (Sun, Mon). This week, as opposed to next week and last week? It doesn't seem to be confusing when talking about months. This month, next month and last month all appear to cause no confusion. (Or do they?) |
12 Apr
6:39pm, 12 Apr 2025
23,490 posts
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ChrisHB
If I said "next May" I would mean May 2026, but I would not say "next May". I would include the year. And if I said on December 31st "This year I am going to the Bahamas", I expect few would notice the logical error. |
12 Apr
6:43pm, 12 Apr 2025
16,891 posts
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sallykate
TBH I tend to clarify with dates to be on the safe side - certainly if it's a work thing! You might be on to something there JCB. Months are certainly easier because we have named months. Some European countries work on numbered weeks in a way which doesn't seem to feature in the UK. |
12 Apr
7:38pm, 12 Apr 2025
20,498 posts
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JamieKai *chameleon*
JCB wrote: Perhaps 2400 and 0000 would make it clear. I've always thought 12am was the very start of the day. I have seen, to avoid ambiguity, the use of 11:59pm, such as on competition deadlines. 2400 and 0000 are the same time (although 2400 shouldn't be used in the UK I think) I note that any job applications in my company close at 23:59 to avoid ambiguity. |
13 Apr
10:49am, 13 Apr 2025
23,561 posts
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RichHL
Words are hard. I've tried to phrase a coherent argument about the sequencing of "this" and "next" and it all turns to mush.
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