Interesting. I am, as I said, more of a digital-clock-reader, but I still say “quarter of” and “half past” and the like. I attribute this to labels my parents put around the (analog) wall clock in my childhood bedroom, showing where “of” and “to” were, and where “past” and “after” were.
An old SO of mine used to get annoyed when I said “quarter of,” though. I wonder if they were so accustomed to digital timekeeping that my habit required an annoying amount of translation for them. The reverse wasn’t true, though—I understand “seven forty-five” perfectly.
An old SO of mine used to get annoyed when I said “quarter
of,” though.
Was it that phrase in particular? Maybe they’re like me
(though I don’t find it annoying): I’ve used “half past”,
“quarter past”, and “quarter to” since childhood, but for
whatever reason (presumably the phraseology of the people I
grew up around) I made it to adulthood not being sure
whether “quarter of” meant “quarter to” or “quarter after”.
Edit: I know what it means now because I have a friend who uses it. I was born and raised in Michigan, and my friend in New York.
Interesting. I am, as I said, more of a digital-clock-reader, but I still say “quarter of” and “half past” and the like. I attribute this to labels my parents put around the (analog) wall clock in my childhood bedroom, showing where “of” and “to” were, and where “past” and “after” were.
An old SO of mine used to get annoyed when I said “quarter of,” though. I wonder if they were so accustomed to digital timekeeping that my habit required an annoying amount of translation for them. The reverse wasn’t true, though—I understand “seven forty-five” perfectly.
Was it that phrase in particular? Maybe they’re like me (though I don’t find it annoying): I’ve used “half past”, “quarter past”, and “quarter to” since childhood, but for whatever reason (presumably the phraseology of the people I grew up around) I made it to adulthood not being sure whether “quarter of” meant “quarter to” or “quarter after”.
Edit: I know what it means now because I have a friend who uses it. I was born and raised in Michigan, and my friend in New York.
Hm, it may have been. I don’t remember very well.