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ESL forum > Ask for help > A quarter past, or quarter past???    

A quarter past, or quarter past???



Isabelucha
Portugal

A quarter past, or quarter past???
 
Please help me here! :-)
Which is more correct:
It �s quarter past eleven OR It �s A quarter past eleven?
Or... are both correct?
I keep telling my students: It �s A quarter to... but I saw my Student �s book and there was an exercise in which the example said: It �s quarter to...Wacko

2 Oct 2009      





peiolei
Spain

I think both are correct.

Paola

2 Oct 2009     



serene
Greece

Hi Isabelucha,
 
Both must be correct. Longman online Dictionary writes "(a) quarter to two/three etc". The parentheses (brackets) mean that "a" can be omitted.
 
Hugs Hug
serene

2 Oct 2009     



libertybelle
United States

I always say It �s a quarter past.

2 Oct 2009     



kaz76
United Kingdom

Both ways are correct although I always say �it �s quarter past � and have never really heard anyone use it with �a � before.  It probably just depends where you live but both are equally as good. 

2 Oct 2009     



cheezels
New Zealand

I �ve always said It �s a quarter to/past (the a is really quick... "It �sa" almost!) Both are fine.

2 Oct 2009     



vickyvar
Greece

Yes, both are equally correct and accepted. It depends on what you are used to saying!

2 Oct 2009     



Malvine
Latvia

Somehow it sounds more up-to-date without "a" to me, I don �t know why, maybe because most text-books omit it now.

3 Oct 2009     



Jayho
Australia

Hi Isabelucha
 
Both forms are perfectly acceptable.  If you search for �time � in previous posts you �ll find many discussions on this.
 
Cheers
 
Jayho

3 Oct 2009