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Telling the time

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Telling the time

Telling the time

A clock helps us tell the time. Let's learn to read o'clock times and half past times on a clock.

12369minute handlong → points to 3hour handshort → just past 3quarter past 3

The two hands

An analogue clock has two hands. The short hand is the hour hand — it shows the hour. The long hand is the minute hand — it shows the minutes. A digital clock shows the time as numbers on a screen instead.

O'clock times

When the long minute hand points to 12, it is an o'clock time. Read the hour from the short hand. If the hour hand points to 3 and the minute hand points to 12, the time is 3 o'clock.

Half past times

When the long minute hand points to 6, it is half past the hour. Half past is 30 minutes past the hour. The hour hand is between two numbers. If the hour hand is just past 3 and the minute hand points to 6, the time is half past 3.

Why the time matters

There are 60 minutes in one hour and 30 minutes in half an hour. Being able to read the time helps you meet your friends, catch a bus and be in the right place at the right time.

Worked examples

Reading an o'clock time

  1. Look at the long minute hand. It points to 12, so it is an o'clock time.
  2. Look at the short hour hand. It points to 5.

Answer: The time is 5 o'clock.

Reading a half past time

  1. Look at the long minute hand. It points to 6, so it is half past.
  2. Look at the short hour hand. It is just past 3.

Answer: The time is half past 3.

How many minutes

  1. One whole hour is 60 minutes.
  2. Half of an hour is half of 60.

Answer: There are 30 minutes in half an hour.

Where you see this in real life

  • Waking up at 7 o'clock in the morning.
  • Meeting a friend at half past 3.
  • Catching a bus that leaves at 8 o'clock.
  • Eating lunch at 12 o'clock.

Key words

Analogue clock
A clock that shows the time with hands.
Digital clock
A clock that shows the time as numbers on a screen.
Hour hand
The short hand that shows the hour.
Minute hand
The long hand that shows the minutes.
O'clock
A time when the minute hand points to 12.
Half past
A time when the minute hand points to 6 — 30 minutes past the hour.
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