2.

TIMETABLES AND SCHEDULES

2.1 Time and time differences
There are two styles for stating the time:
 The 12 hour clock. This is the most common time style for everyday use.
e.g. 8 o’clock, 8.30 am.
 The 24 hour clock. This is most often used for timetables and schedules.
e.g. 20.00 hours, 08.30 hours

For times before 10 o’clock, add ‘oh’ before the number of hours. (In the army and police
force, people often say ‘zero’ instead.)
If there are minutes, then say the number of hours followed by the number of
minutes. When there are no minutes, then say the number + hundred hours.

12 HOUR TIME 24 HOUR TIME 24 HOUR TIME PRONUNCIATION

7.30 am 07.30 hours Oh seven thirty hours
10.00am 10.00 hours Ten hundred hours
1.00pm 13.00 hours Thirteen hundred hours
6.15pm 18.15 hours Eighteen fifteen hours
11.05pm 23.05 hours Twenty three zero five hours

Exercise: 24 hour clock

Change these times to either 12 hour or 24 hour clock
time.
1. 8.00am = .........................

2. 9.45am = .........................

3. ......................... = 02.00 hours

4. ......................... = 20.00 hours

5. 10.20pm = .........................

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Exercise: time differences
Fill in the blanks, and show the times on the clocks below.
1. The time in Dili is 3.00pm.

2. Singapore is one hour behind Timor, so in Singapore the time is ..........................

3. New Zealand is four hours ahead/in front of Timor, so in New Zealand the time is
..........................

4. Lisbon is seven hours

behind Timor, so in
Lisbon the time
is ..........................

5. What is the time

difference between
Lisbon and
Singapore? ...................
....... hours.

Singapore East Timor New Zealand Lisbon

2.2 Vocabulary: Arrival and

departure
VERB TETUN NOUN
arrive Too arrival
depart aranka, sai departure
fly Semo flight
leave sai, husik hela
land (aviaun) tuun

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2.3 Airline timetable
These are the timetables for Timor Air flights between Dili and Singapore, and Air North
flights between Dili and Darwin.

DEPART DEPA AR
RT R
ARRIVE DARW I
SINGAPORE IN V
E
DILI
D
I
L
I
Monday 05.45 06.30

DEPART 15.30DEPA 16.15AR

Tuesday 9.25 14.15 09.15 10.00
Wednesday 05.45 R RIV
06.30
ARRIVE 09.45 T E
10.30
Thursday 9.25 14.15
DILI 05.45 DI 06.30
DAR
Friday 06.30 07.15
Saturday 9.25 SINGAPOR
14.15 06.30 LI WIN
07.15
Sunday E
Monday 11.15 13.00
17.00 18.45
Tuesday 15.25 18.10 10.45 12.30
Wednesday 07.15 09.00
11.15 13.00
Exercise
Thursday 15.25 18.10 11.15 13.00
Friday
Look at the airline timetable above. Fill in the times and 08.00
the correct tense of 09.45
the verbs.
Saturday 15.25 18.10 08.00 09.45
1. My sister ......................... (go) from Dili to Darwin next Wednesday. Her plane
Sunday
......................... (leave) Dili at ......................... and ......................... (arrive) in Darwin at
......................... The flight ......................... (take) just ......................... hour
and .........................
minutes. She ......................... (go) on a training course for five days
and ......................... (return) to Dili the following Monday.

2. Last Friday my boss ......................... (fly) to Singapore from Dili. The

plane ......................... (depart) at ......................... and ......................... (land) in Singapore
at ......................... The
flight ......................... (take) ......................... hour and ......................... minutes.
She ......................... (stay) in Singapore until next week because she ......................... (attend) a
conference there.

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Exercise
Refer to the timetable above and answer these questions using complete
sentences.
1. On a Saturday what time does the plane from Dili arrive in Singapore?

......................................................................................................................
..................................
2. What is the flying time between Darwin and Dili?

.....................................................................................................................
...................................
3. How many times a week is there a flight from Singapore to Dili?

.....................................................................................................................
...................................
4. Is there a flight from Dili to Singapore on a Tuesday?

.....................................................................................................................
...................................
5. What is the departure time of the flight to Singapore on a Wednesday?

.....................................................................................................................
...................................
6. What time does the flight from Darwin arrive in Dili?

.....................................................................................................................
...................................
7. Is there an afternoon flight from Dili to Darwin?

.....................................................................................................................
...................................
8. How many flights a week are there between from Dili to Darwin?

.....................................................................................................................
...................................

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2.4 Time prepositions
Read the information about time prepositions in section 8.15. Then insert the correct time
prepositions into the passage.

Dear Mr. Jones,

Thank you for your email. Our hotel opened ......................... April this year, so we have been
open
......................... only 6 months and all our facilities are new. A new wing of the hotel opens
......................... May.

With regard to your reservation, I have changed your arrival date ......................... 14th October
......................... 18th October, and changed your departure date ......................... 17th October
......................... 22nd October, as you requested. We will pick you up at the airport
......................... 10 o’clock ......................... Monday 18th October as agreed.

The Tourism Conference runs ......................... three days. .........................Tuesday morning it

starts
......................... 9.00 am, and there is a break for lunch ......................... midday. The conference
resumes ......................... 2 o’clock. ......................... 3 o’clock we have a special guest from
the Department of Tourism. .........................the evening there is a dinner for guests.

The conference will end ......................... 21st October ......................... around 3.00 pm.

I will arrange for a taxi to take you to the airport ......................... 8.00 am .........................
22nd October.

Regards,

Kenneth

Johnson

2.5 ‘Open’ and ‘closed’

To say that something is open or closed, you can use either a verb or an
adjective.
The verbs ‘open’ and ‘close’ refer to an activity.
This box
 The bank closes at 5.00pm. is open.

subject verb

The adjectives ‘opened’ and ‘closed’ refer to a state. Like all adjectives, they must be used with
the verb to be.

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 Verb “to be”

 The bank is open from 10.00am to 5.00pm.

subject adjective

 The shop closes at 5 o’clock.

 The shop is closed from 5pm to 8am.
 The supermarket opens at 8.00pm.
 Some shops in America are open day and
night.

Exercise

The Super Plaza: Opening hours

SHOPS MONDAY TO FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY &
PUBLIC
HOLIDAYS
P 8.30 to 5.30 9.00 to 12.30 Closed
h
ar
m
a
c
y
2
n
d
fl
o
o
r

Baker 6.00 to 7.00 7.30 to 6.00 7.00am to 12.00pm

Exercise
y
Groun
Refer to the opening times above and answer the questions in full sentences. Then practice asking
d floor
and answering the questions with a friend.
O 8.30 to 12.00 Closed Closed
p 1. What time does the 1.30pharmacy
to 5.00 open on Saturdays?
t
i ...................................................................................................................................................
c .....
i 2. What time does the bookshop close on a Wednesday?
a
n ...................................................................................................................................................
.....
3
r 3. What time does the supermarket close during the week?
d
...................................................................................................................................................
f .....
l 4. Is the tailor open at the weekend?
o
o ...................................................................................................................................................
r .....
 5. How many shops are closed at the weekend?

.....................................................................................................................................................
...
6. What time does the optician open after lunch?

.....................................................................................................................................................
...
7. Which shop opens first?

.....................................................................................................................................................
...
8. How long is the shoe shop open for on a Saturday?

.....................................................................................................................................................
...

Exercise
Refer to the opening times above. Then read the dialogues, and fill in the missing
information. Practice these telephone conversations with a colleague.
Customer: Good morning. Is that the pharmacy?

Pharmacy: Yes, it is.

Customer: Good. Can you please tell me your opening times?

Customer:
Pharmacy: Good morning. Is that the
bookshop?
Certainly...........................................................................................................................
Bookshop: .......................................................................................................................................
...
Customer: Good. Can you please tell me when you are
open?
Bookshop: .......................................................................................................................................
...

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Exercise
SHOPS MONDAY TO FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY &
PUBLIC
HOLIDAYS
O 8.30 to 12.00 8.30-12.30 Closed
p 1.30 to 5.00
t
Fill
i in the blanks with the correct information. Be sure to use the correct
c
tense. Then practice the dialogue with a colleague.
i
a
Maria calls the optician on Monday morning.
n
Maria: Good morning ................................... (be) you open
3 today?
Optician:
r Yes we ................................... (be) open all
d day.
Maria: ................................... (phone) yesterday but there ................................... (be) no
f answer.
Optician:
l Sorry, we ................................... (be, not) open on
o Sundays.
Maria:
o I also ................................... (call) last
r Saturday.
Optician: On Saturdays we ................................... (be) only open in the
morning. We ................................... (close) at ...................................

Maria: Can I make an appointment to see the optician

today?
Optician: Certainly, what time ................................... (be) best for
you?
Maria: Well, because I ................................... (work) at the moment the best time for
me
................................... (be) lunch time.
Optician: I ................................... (be) sorry but we ................................... (be) closed at
lunchtime.
We ................................... (close) at ................................... and open again at
...................................
Maria: ................................... (you, say) you ................................... (be) open on
Saturday
mornings?
Optician: Yes, we are open from ...................................
to ...................................
Maria: Very well, I will come on Saturday morning. Thank
you.

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2.6 Exercise: Verb tense
Study the present perfect in section 8.4. Then insert the correct tense of the verbs given.

My overseas trip
I (visit, never) ................................... Africa, but I ................................... (travel) to South
America several times. The last time I ................................... (go) to South America,
I (visit) ................................... Brazil and Peru. I also (spend) ................................... two weeks
in
La Paz where I ................................... (hire) a bicycle and ................................... (cycle) around
the city.

My friend ................................... (go) to Africa. She ................................... (go) there last year
with her sister. On the way, they ................................... (stop over) in India for a few days.
They ................................... (not, like) India. My friend ................................... (say) the people
................................... (be) friendly but the hotel ................................... (not, be) very good and it
................................... (rain) every day.

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