I was working so hard that I completely lost track of the time.

[Freeguy]

Which one is correct?

I was working so hard that I completely lost track of the time.
I was working so hard that I completely lost sense of the time.

 

[5jj]

The first.

 

[Freeguy]

Why not the second?

 

[5jj]

Because we don't say it.

 

[Tdol]

We could say I lost all sense of time, but to me that is a bit more than not realising it's 3pm already.

 

[Freeguy]

I didn't get this part: but that is a bit more than not realising it's 3pm already.

 

[MikeNewYork]

For me, "completely lost sense of time" sounds almost psychotic. "Completely lost track of time" is a way of saying that one was so focused that one did not realize how much time had passed.

 

[Tdol]

That's what I meant. Imagine someone without a clock in a room with no windows, like some prisoners. After a while, they could easily lose all sense of time.

 

[Freeguy]

http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic39303.html


I'm a bit discombobulated.

 

[Barb_D]

Why?

 

[MikeNewYork]

That's a great word. But I must also ask, Why?

 

[Freeguy]

Their definition for "lose sense of time" is different from what I've heard.

 

[Barb_D]

I can't speak to their thought process. If you didn't realize several hours had passed or that it was later than you thought, then you "lost track of the time."

 

[Freeguy]

http://www.woodwardenglish.com/to-lose-track-of-time/

Do you confirm this one? (Last question, I promise!)

 

[MikeNewYork]

I didn't see anything in the link that was different from what we have already said. Did I miss something?

 

[Tdol]

Their definition for "lose sense of time" is different from what I've heard.

It's almost impossible to pin down meaning exactly, so there will be differences in interpretation. I would not use it as a synonym for lose track of time. For me, lose all sense of time is a greater temporal confusion.