2.鐘的指標指在八點半上, 我們該讓孩子們上床睡覺了。
The hands of the clock pointed to half past eight.It was time we put our children to bed.
3.那天早上八點半，我正在《紐約客》編輯部的辦公室寫一篇有關印度艾滋病情況的稿件。
At eight-thirty that morning I was in my office at The New Yorker working on a story about AIDSin India.
時間的英文快速表達方法
一 最直接的讀法：“小時 + 分鐘”：
5:10 five ten
7:30 seven thirty
2:40 two forty
二 巧用介詞法：
（1）所表述的時間在30分鐘之內，用“分鐘 + past/after + 小時”：
6:10 ten past six（英式） / ten after six(美式)
4:20 twenty past four / twenty after four
10:25 twenty-five past ten / twenty-five after ten
（2）所表述的`時間在30分鐘之後，用“（相差的）分鐘 + to/before + （下一）小時”：
10:35 twenty-five to eleven（英式 ） / twenty-five before eleven（美式）
5:50 ten to six / ten before six
9:49 eleven to ten / eleven before ten
（3） 所表述的時間恰好為半小時，用“half + past + 小時”：
11:30 half past eleven
2:30 half past two
（4） 所表述的分鐘和15有關，有三種表達法：
（15分鐘又叫一刻鐘：a quarter）
9:15 - nine fifteen ; fifteen past nine ; a quarter past nine（英式）/
a quarter after nine(美式)
3:45 - three forty-five ; fifteen to four ; a quarter to four/a quarter before four
(5)整點
現在是五點整。
It's five.
It's five o'clock.
It's five o'clock sharp.
It's five o'clock on the dot.
It's five o'clock on the nose.
It's exactly five o'clock.