Telling Time to the Minute: Before and After the Hour

Contents

• How to Tell Time to the Minute using Before the Hour and After the Hour
• After the Hour
• Before the Hour
• How can we Tell Time to the Nearest Minute using Before the Hour and After the Hour?- Example
• How can we Tell Time to the Minute using Before the Hour and After the Hour? - Summary

How to Tell Time to the Minute using Before the Hour and After the Hour

Zuri and Freddie have just arrived at the Bee’s Knees Adventure Park and are trying to decide which live show to see. Zuri thinks the first show time is at 11:53 but Freddie points out that you can use the expressions before the hour and after the hour to tell time to the minute. Why is it important to tell time to the nearest minute? Since there are a few different ways to tell time, is it important to know how to tell time to the nearest minute in every way possible. How do you know which expression to use when you tell and write time to the nearest minute? In the following, we will look at exactly how this works.

After the Hour

Since there are 60 minutes in one hour, we can divide the clock in half at the 30 minute mark. After the hour means how many minutes have passed in the hour. We use the expression after the hour to tell time when the minute hand is on the right side of the clock.

Once you identify the minute hand on the right side of the clock, you use skip counting to count the minutes that have passed in the hour. Lastly, you determine the hour by identifying the last number the hour hand has passed.



Before the Hour

Before the hour means how many minutes are left before the next hour. We use the expression before the hour to tell time when the minute hand is on the left side of the clock.

Once you identify the minute hand on the left side of the clock, you use skip counting to count how many minutes are left before the next hour. Lastly, you determine the hour by identifying the last number the hour hand has passed.



How can we Tell Time to the Nearest Minute using Before the Hour and After the Hour?- Example

The clock below shows what time the Monster Truck show starts, but how do you tell time to the minute using before the hour or after the hour?



Let’s start by asking, is the minute hand on the right side of the clock or the left side? In this example, the minute hand is on the right side so we will use the expression after the hour.

Next, we will count how many minutes have passed in the hour so far. If you count the tick marks on the clock from the beginning of the hour to where the minute hand is, you will count six, so we know it is six minutes after the hour.

Lastly, we can determine the hour by looking at the hour hand. The hour hand is on ten, so the Monster Truck show starts at six minutes after ten.



Now let’s see what time the Amazing Acrobats show starts. Do we use the expression before the hour or after the hour?



Let’s start by asking, is the minute hand on the right side of the clock or the left side? In this example, the minute hand is on the left side so we will use the expression before the hour.

Next, we will count how many minutes are left before the next hour. If you count the tick marks on the clock from where the minute hand is to the end of the hour, you will count seven, so we know it is seven minutes before the next hour.

Lastly, we can determine the hour by looking at the hour hand. The last number the hour hand passed is eleven, so the Amazing Acrobats show starts at seven minutes before twelve.



How can we Tell Time to the Minute using Before the Hour and After the Hour? - Summary

Remember, when we tell time to the minute using the expressions before the hour and after the hour …

• Step 1: Identify which expression to use
• Step 2: Count the minutes
• Step 3: Determine the hour