afternoon

[robin lee]

Are these sentences correct?

I am working from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon today as I have a dental appointment in the afternoon.

I am working from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. today as I have a dental appointment this afternoon.

[Rover_KE]

Yes, they are.

allenman, please note this extract from the Posting Guidelines:

You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly in your post.

[GoesStation]

Actually, there is no such thing as 12:00 pm because 12:00 o'clock is a singularity. 'Midnight' could be considered as 12:00 am or 12:00 pm, and noon could be considered as 12:00 am or 12:00 pm. It's best to stick with 12:00 noon and 12:00 midnight.

I agree that 12:00 noon is better. However, 12:00 pm is nearly universally used to mean "noon". You will be understood if you join the rest of the world and ignore us pedants who wistfully insist that post meridiem means "after noon" and therefore "12:00 pm" is logically impossible.

I will now step away from the lectern, step off the podium, and leave the room.

[jutfrank]

You will be understood if you join the rest of the world and ignore us pedants who wistfully insist that post meridiem means "after noon" and therefore "12:00 pm" is logically impossible.

I will now step away from the lectern, step off the podium, and leave the room.

Before you leave...

Is it not true that when we say it's 12:00 p.m., we are in almost all cases referring to the time period of sixty seconds posterior to the meridiem?

[Piscean]

However, 12:00 pm is nearly universally used to mean "noon". You will be understood if you join the rest of the world and ignore us pedants who wistfully insist that post meridiem means "after noon" and therefore "12:00 pm" is logically impossible.

I come from a different school of pedantry. I just cannot understand the minds of those who pass from 9 am through 10 am and 11 am to 12 pm. I concede that 12 am would be as illogical for 'noon' as 12 pm (ideally it should be 12 m) in that it is neither before nor after noon, but at least it would be less insane as we pass through the morning hours from 1 am to 11 am and then ... 12 am.

However, the convention is that noon is 12 pm, so we just have to grin and bear it when others use it. I'll stick to 12 noon.

[GoesStation]

Before you leave...

Is it not true that when we say it's 12:00 p.m., we are in almost all cases referring to the time period of sixty seconds posterior to the meridiem?

I had to reflect on this a little. It's certainly nearly always actually after noon when we say that, so I concur.

[GoesStation]

Before you leave...

Is it not true that when we say it's 12:00 p.m., we are in almost all cases referring to the time period of sixty seconds posterior to the meridiem?

I hope you noticed that my response didn't beg the question.

[jutfrank]

I hope you noticed that my response didn't beg the question.

?

[GoesStation]

?

I just happened to think of another favorite pedants' gripe. In American English at least, the old, subtle meaning of beg the question ("dodge the issue", more or less) has been entirely replaced by the simpler "demands that one ask".

[jutfrank]

I just happened to think of another favorite pedants' gripe. In American English at least, the old, subtle meaning of beg the question ("dodge the issue", more or less) has been entirely replaced by the simpler "demands that one ask".

I hate to outpedant you but technically, begging the question (at least in logical reasoning) is trying to reach a conclusion by using that same conclusion as a premise of itself.