wait time or scheduling time?

[Nefertiti]

Hi there.


lab 2: The exam was scheduled on Sept 2nd.
lab 1 : The exam was scheduled on Sept 12th.

Are the following dialogs Okay to say?

A: Did you go to lab 1 for your ultrasound exam?

B: No, I went to lab 2 for the exam because lab 1 has much longer wait time than lab 2.


A: Did you go to lab 1 for your ultrasound exam?

B: No, I went to lab 2 for the exam because lab 1 has much longer scheduling time than lab 2.

Any better suggestions?

Thanks,

[Tdol]

A: Did you go to lab 1 for your ultrasound exam?

B: No, I went to lab 2 for the exam because lab 1 has a much longer waiting time than lab 2.

[Soup]

Any better suggestions?

A: Which lab did you go to for your ultrasound?
B: Lab 1. It has much shorter wait time than lab 2. That is, the waiting list isn't as long.

[Nefertiti]

Tdol - B: No, I went to lab 2 for the exam because lab 1 has a much longer waiting time than lab 2.

Soup - B: Lab 1. It has much shorter wait time than lab 2. That is, the waiting list isn't as long. [Zero Article]

have a ..... time (Tdol)

[zero article] have .... time (Soup)

Hi, Tdol

1. Why do you need an article in front of 'time' if 'time' is uncountable?

2. Is it Okay to say, "lab1 has much longer waiting time than lab 2"? (i.e. without an article in front of 'time')

Thanks, both Soup and Tdol.

[Tdol]

In British English, we use 'waiting time' countably and talk of 'waiting times'. I amd not sure if this is the same in America and Canada; let's see what Soup says on the issue.

[Soup]

Typo. It should read,

Lab 1. It has a much shorter wait time than lab 2. That is, the waiting list isn't as long.

The determiner modifies wait time, short for waiting time. The noun time is countable, a time, the time, one time, two times.

[Nefertiti]

Hi there.

Thanks for clarifying the confusion.

OK, wait(ing) time is countable.
Do you native speakers say 3 or 4 wait(ing) times? What exactly does it mean if the answer is "YES"?

Let me go a little further.

Lab1 has a much longer waiting time than lab 2.

much - an adverb which modifies the adjective longer. It is not a determiner that modifies the noun time.

Do not use much before countable nouns. Use many or a lot of (Source:Longman) [Note: much is used as a determiner.]
e.g. We've wasted too much time. time - an uncountable noun, much - a determiner.


To: Soup,
Are you the teacher of LTIE? Say hello to the crew if you are. Great job. "Learning English can be fun!"

[Soup]

Some nouns, like the word time, can be used as either a count noun, or a non-count noun.

Non-count: much time

Count: many times; more than one time; e.g., there is more than one time available to schedule an ultrasound exam:

1. Both Labs 1 and 2 have wait times,
Plural noun, so singular a doesn't fit.

2. but Lab 1's wait time is much shorter.
Singular noun, but adding the determiner a would render the phrase ungrammatical, because the possessive noun Lab 1's already functions as a determiner.

3. They have a wait time that is much shorter ~ they have a much shorter wait time.
Determiner required.

Lab 1 has a waiting time.

Lab 1 has a shorter waiting time.

Lab 1 has a much shorter waiting time.

___________
Yes, I am a teacher. What does LTIE stand for?

[Nefertiti]

Hi, Soup.

LTIE means Let's Talk in English. It's a TV program. Are you one of the teachers?

Thank you so much for the detailed explanations.

[Soup]

You're most welcome, Nefertiti, and, no, I am not on LTIE.