| Author |
Message |
Mike Clark
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:23 am
Post subject: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on how times
sould be written - not with capital letters?
TIA
Mike
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Mark Brader
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:06 am
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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Mike Clark:
| Quote: | Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on
how times sould be written - not with capital letters?
|
Let me just point out that this is a matter of style, and different
"reliable" sources may disagree without being wrong.
--
Mark Brader, Toronto "... pure English is de rigueur"
msb@vex.net -- Guardian Weekly |
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Jim Lawton
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:07 am
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:23:50 +0100, "Mike Clark" <mclark@rimini.com> wrote:
| Quote: | Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on how times
sould be written - not with capital letters?
|
No, but if you enter this <"9 a.m." british library> in Google, you find a whole
list of libraries - including the British Library itself, and the Bodleian in
Oxford, all using "9 am". Perhaps that helps.
--
Jim
the polymoth
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Don Phillipson
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:33 am
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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"Mike Clark" <mclark@rimini.com> wrote in message
news:43656420$0$24651$4fafbaef@reader3.news.tin.it...
| Quote: | Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on how
times
sould be written - not with capital letters?
|
The (London) Times probably published its own style
guide to answer questions like this. See also web
sites of Oxford or Cambridge University presses,
some academic journals, etc., besides newspapers
of record.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada) |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 3:32 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 03:59:21 -0000, msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) wrote:
| Quote: | Mike Clark:
Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on
how times sould be written - not with capital letters?
|
Why insist on noncapital letters? I prefer 9 AM.
| Quote: | Let me just point out that this is a matter of style, and different
"reliable" sources may disagree without being wrong.
|
True, but "9 a.m." looks awful nowadays.
--
Charles Riggs |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 3:33 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 06:53:03 GMT, Jim Lawton
<usenet1@jimlawton.TAKEOUTinfo> wrote:
| Quote: | On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:23:50 +0100, "Mike Clark" <mclark@rimini.com> wrote:
Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on how times
sould be written - not with capital letters?
No, but if you enter this <"9 a.m." british library> in Google, you find a whole
list of libraries - including the British Library itself, and the Bodleian in
Oxford, all using "9 am". Perhaps that helps.
|
That's the trend, all right. I also see a lot of "9 AM"s here and
there. "9 a.m." is dated.
--
Charles Riggs |
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Jordan Abel
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:49 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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On 2005-10-31, JF <jf@NOSPAMmarage.demon.co.uk> wrote:
| Quote: | In message <p6gbm11k94l0ib1jag8m36pk7ctsdmotp1@4ax.com>, Charles Riggs
chriggs@?.net.invalid> writes
On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 03:59:21 -0000, msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) wrote:
Mike Clark:
Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules
on how times sould be written - not with capital letters?
Why insist on noncapital letters? I prefer 9 AM.
Let me just point out that this is a matter of style, and
different "reliable" sources may disagree without being wrong.
True, but "9 a.m." looks awful nowadays.
The four character format is simplest of all -- 0900. It always
uses the same amount of space, even for the small hours.
|
Then there's the packed hex format: 7E90 - though it can go to five
digits (there are, after all, 15180 seconds in a day) it also
encodes the seconds, and if you leave out the seconds you get it
down to three digits: 9am is 21C, and the day has a total of of 5a0
minutes. |
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JF
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:15 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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In message <p6gbm11k94l0ib1jag8m36pk7ctsdmotp1@4ax.com>, Charles Riggs
<chriggs@?.net.invalid> writes
| Quote: | On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 03:59:21 -0000, msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) wrote:
Mike Clark:
Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on
how times sould be written - not with capital letters?
Why insist on noncapital letters? I prefer 9 AM.
Let me just point out that this is a matter of style, and different
"reliable" sources may disagree without being wrong.
True, but "9 a.m." looks awful nowadays.
|
The four character format is simplest of all -- 0900. It always uses the
same amount of space, even for the small hours.
--
James Follett |
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Ross Howard
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:18 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:23:50 +0100, "Mike Clark" <mclark@rimini.com>
wrought:
| Quote: | Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on how times
sould be written - not with capital letters?
TIA
Mike
|
A space between the number and the "am/pm" is recommended, but the
full stops are optional and not currently in fashion in the UK -- most
(all?) of the quality papers ts-any-more seem to have done away with
them, for example.
If there are minutes involved, divide them from the hour by a colon,
like this: "9:30 am". Some styles (including *The Economist*) use the
colon even for times that are bang on the hour, e.g. "9:00 am".
Finally, if you opt do for the full-stop-less version, it's a good
idea to ensure that the space before the "am/pm" doesn't get split on
a line break (To do this with MS Word, keep Ctrl pressed while you hit
the space bar); otherwise you might get a strange result like this:
10 Downing Street has announced that tomorrow at 9
am the Prime Minister will meet representatives of....
Finally-finally -- and as always with style questions like this -- the
best advice is to tell you to check what the readers of whatever
you're writing are going to expect or are most used to, and go with
that.
--
Ross Howard |
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Ross Howard
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 5:27 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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As in most of my posts about copy-editing style, the above one was
sent unedited, riddled with cut-and-paste detritus. Apologies.
--
Ross Howard |
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Peter Duncanson
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:21 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 11:18:26 +0100, Ross Howard <gguiri@yahoo.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:23:50 +0100, "Mike Clark" <mclark@rimini.com
wrought:
Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on how times
sould be written - not with capital letters?
TIA
Mike
A space between the number and the "am/pm" is recommended, but the
full stops are optional and not currently in fashion in the UK -- most
(all?) of the quality papers ts-any-more seem to have done away with
them, for example.
If there are minutes involved, divide them from the hour by a colon,
like this: "9:30 am". Some styles (including *The Economist*) use the
colon even for times that are bang on the hour, e.g. "9:00 am".
|
The Times and the Guardian use the forms "6pm", "9am", "11.30am", and so
on. There are no spaces between the number and the "am/pm". Hours and
minutes are separated by a ".".
The minuteless form "6pm" appears to be used in narrative. However,
where time schedules are given the minutes are included.
This is the case in, for example, TV Listings:
6.00pm BBC News
6.30pm Regional News Programmes (888)
7.00pm Holiday 2006
7.30pm Inside Out
If the 24-hour clock is used there are always 4 digits in the time. For
example "00.46" (for "0.46am").
Where the context makes clear what is intended, "am" or "pm" can be
omitted. The two newspapers mentioned omit "pm" when listing the
starting times of sporting events where these are customarily "pm"
times.
| Quote: | Finally, if you opt do for the full-stop-less version, it's a good
idea to ensure that the space before the "am/pm" doesn't get split on
a line break (To do this with MS Word, keep Ctrl pressed while you hit
the space bar); otherwise you might get a strange result like this:
10 Downing Street has announced that tomorrow at 9
am the Prime Minister will meet representatives of....
Finally-finally -- and as always with style questions like this -- the
best advice is to tell you to check what the readers of whatever
you're writing are going to expect or are most used to, and go with
that.
-- |
Peter Duncanson
UK (posting from a.u.e) |
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JF
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:45 pm
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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X-No-Archive: yes
In message <jh4cm1lf16799459paigk52jfjjtt985ht@4ax.com>, Peter Duncanson
<mail@peterduncanson.net> writes
| Quote: | The Times and the Guardian use the forms "6pm", "9am", "11.30am", and so
on. There are no spaces between the number and the "am/pm". Hours and
minutes are separated by a ".".
The minuteless form "6pm" appears to be used in narrative. However,
where time schedules are given the minutes are included.
This is the case in, for example, TV Listings:
6.00pm BBC News
6.30pm Regional News Programmes (888)
7.00pm Holiday 2006
7.30pm Inside Out
If the 24-hour clock is used there are always 4 digits in the time. For
example "00.46" (for "0.46am").
|
What's the full stop for? 0046 is much simpler.
English newspapers and magazines must be among the few left in Europe
still clinging to out-moded 12-hour notation for programme listings. It
was okay twenty years ago when 24-hour TV didn't exist, but today it's
plain daft. The Nato twenty-four notation, without unnecessary comas,
colons, semi-colons or whatever, is much more uniform and precise.
Airlines use it for their timetables although operators at Luton still
get a few thickos turning up at 2000 for departures shown as 0800 on
their itineraries, but you'd expect that at Luton. The anger of a fully
luggaged Lutonite family arriving several hours late for their holiday
flight is one of the joys of reality TV. They're not the brightest
buttons on the Life Boys' tunic.
James Follett. Novelist. (G1LXP) http://www.jamesfollett.dswilliams.co.uk |
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Donna Richoux
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:06 am
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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JF <jf@NOSPAMmarage.demon.co.uk> wrote:
| Quote: | X-No-Archive: yes
In message <jh4cm1lf16799459paigk52jfjjtt985ht@4ax.com>, Peter Duncanson
mail@peterduncanson.net> writes
The Times and the Guardian use the forms "6pm", "9am", "11.30am", and so
on. There are no spaces between the number and the "am/pm". Hours and
minutes are separated by a ".".
The minuteless form "6pm" appears to be used in narrative. However,
where time schedules are given the minutes are included.
This is the case in, for example, TV Listings:
6.00pm BBC News
6.30pm Regional News Programmes (888)
7.00pm Holiday 2006
7.30pm Inside Out
If the 24-hour clock is used there are always 4 digits in the time. For
example "00.46" (for "0.46am").
What's the full stop for? 0046 is much simpler.
|
1812, 1940, and 2005 don't give you pause?
--
Best -- Donna Richoux |
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ArWeGod
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:20 am
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
|
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"JF" <jf@NOSPAMmarage.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:x9STu$F46eZDFwbX@marage.demon.co.uk...
| Quote: | The four character format is simplest of all -- 0900. It always uses
the
same amount of space, even for the small hours.
|
Commie. Or POME.. ;-)
"9 o'clock in the morning" is the correct spelling - if you aren't a
Terrorist!
--
ArWeWordy |
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ArWeGod
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:27 am
Post subject: Re: 9am or 9 a.m.? |
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"Ross Howard" <gguiri@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8kqbm1165eofkkvmm9anio134kai8lq5q7@4ax.com...
| Quote: | On Mon, 31 Oct 2005 01:23:50 +0100, "Mike Clark" <mclark@rimini.com
wrought:
Can anybody point me to a relaible source with GB English rules on
how times
sould be written - not with capital letters?
A space between the number and the "am/pm" is recommended, but the
full stops are optional and not currently in fashion in the UK -- most
(all?) of the quality papers ts-any-more seem to have done away with
them, for example.
If there are minutes involved, divide them from the hour by a colon,
like this: "9:30 am". Some styles (including *The Economist*) use the
colon even for times that are bang on the hour, e.g. "9:00 am".
Finally, if you opt do for the full-stop-less version, it's a good
idea to ensure that the space before the "am/pm" doesn't get split on
a line break (To do this with MS Word, keep Ctrl pressed while you hit
the space bar); otherwise you might get a strange result like this:
10 Downing Street has announced that tomorrow at 9
am the Prime Minister will meet representatives of....
|
This style works perfectly in "The Real World" (errr... USA), as well.
I think one could omit the space, as a word-wrap deterrent, also:
"9:00am" will not raise eyebrows or ire in Leftpondia.
--
ArWeEarly |
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