shropshire 0 #1 January 18, 2006 Can anyone explain how of took on the meaning of before (used in reference to time ... 10 of 4 meaning 10 to 4)? Thanks, (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindercles 0 #2 January 18, 2006 Can you explain how "to" took that meaning either? Prepositions just don't make sense. In any language. Ever. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #3 January 18, 2006 I guess to implies a direction towards and thus 10 to 4 suggests 10 minutes before you get to 4 O'clock. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindercles 0 #4 January 18, 2006 See, that seems counterintuitive to me. If it's 10 away from 4, wouldn't that be 10 from 4, instead of 10 to 4? Theoretically that should mean the opposite, and yet it appears to mean the same I'm really not trying to be argumentative here. You make a good point. I have no idea why "of" took on that meaning, nor why most prepositions mean any of the things they do. I don't know how many other languages you speak, but in my experience, prepositions are the hardest thing to learn in a new language. You'll even see that phenomenon in reverse. ESL people, eventhough they may speak English near perfectly, will still occasionally make mistakes with prepositions. See this post for exactly what I mean Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #5 January 18, 2006 QuoteSee, that seems counterintuitive to me. If it's 10 away from 4, wouldn't that be 10 from 4, instead of 10 to 4? Theoretically that should mean the opposite, and yet it appears to mean the same 10 to 4 would suggest 10 towards 4, and thus 10 before 4. 10 away from 4 could be in either direction, before or after. I have no idea on that use of of though, and don't use it in such a manner in my speech. For that matter, I don't use "to" in such a manner either; I use "till" or "after". Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #6 January 18, 2006 QuoteCan anyone explain how of took on the meaning of before (used in reference to time ... 10 of 4 meaning 10 to 4)? Thanks, Easy - 10 of 4 used to be "10 shy of 4". Now, can you explain "half-4" to us? As in "it's half 4".Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AshDeBash 0 #7 January 18, 2006 Quote Now, can you explain "half-4" to us? As in "it's half 4". That's an abbrieviation of "half of an hour past four o'clock" We are lazy creatures. It's seems a lot of language "evolution" occurs when we abbrieviate longer expressions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites shropshire 0 #8 January 18, 2006 Thanks .. The whole reason this came up is because I'm working with some lads from an American company and when they set up a meeting for 1/4 of 10 and I turned up at 1/4 past (after, as they said) - I was late Which is exactly why we used 24 hour time in the RAF (all military) so 09:45 was the time of the meeting and I turned up at 10:15..... it cuts out all of the ambiguity. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
shropshire 0 #8 January 18, 2006 Thanks .. The whole reason this came up is because I'm working with some lads from an American company and when they set up a meeting for 1/4 of 10 and I turned up at 1/4 past (after, as they said) - I was late Which is exactly why we used 24 hour time in the RAF (all military) so 09:45 was the time of the meeting and I turned up at 10:15..... it cuts out all of the ambiguity. (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
