Typing time designation

[BK]

I'm probably old-fashioned, but I always type time in this format: 7:00 p.m.

More and more often I see 7:00pm or 7:00 PM and Word doesn't seem to mark
any of these as grammatically incorrect. Is there a "right" way?

 

[JoAnn Paules]

That depends on the style manual you are using. I use small caps for AM and
PM, no periods after the letters, space after the numbers. But that's just
my preferred method.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Word will mark the former as incorrect if you clear the check box for
"Ignore words with numbers" on the Spelling & Grammar tab of Tools |
Options. The conventional treatment of a.m. and p.m. is Small Caps with
periods (you have to use lowercase in Word in order to apply the Small Caps
format), and, like you, I am not crazy about seeing the abbreviations
without periods and especially butted up against the numbers. In timetables
advertising text or the like (that is, anything other than a formal book) I
don't mind AM and PM (in timetables you often see just A and P or a and p,
too, and that's practical to save space).

 

[Terry Farrell]

Well to be fastidiously correct, your usage is correct and everything else
'should' be wrong. However, languages evolve and conventions change so now
either AM or am is widely acceptable. But they should be separate from the
numbers, as Suzanne has mentioned. Definitely avoid 12 am or 12 pm as so
many people don't know the origin of am/pm that they cannot work out which
is noon and which is midnight. So whenever practicable, write noon or
midnight.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Or you can thoroughly confuse people by writing 12 M. for noon. <g>

 

[Mary Sauer]

In the US News & World Report style book, it says don't use 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.,
use midnight or noon. The proper way to write clock time is a.m. and p.m.

 

[BK]

Thanks for the information.

In the US News & World Report style book, it says don't use 12 a.m. or 12
p.m., use midnight or noon. The proper way to write clock time is a.m. and
p.m.

--
Mary Sauer MSFT MVP
http://office.microsoft.com/
http://msauer.mvps.org/
news://msnews.microsoft.com

 

[BK]

Thanks for the information.

That depends on the style manual you are using. I use small caps for AM
and PM, no periods after the letters, space after the numbers. But that's
just my preferred method.

--
JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]

~~~~~
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375

I'm probably old-fashioned, but I always type time in this format: 7:00
p.m.

More and more often I see 7:00pm or 7:00 PM and Word doesn't seem to
mark any of these as grammatically incorrect. Is there a "right" way?

 

[BK]

Thanks for the information.

Word will mark the former as incorrect if you clear the check box for
"Ignore words with numbers" on the Spelling & Grammar tab of Tools |
Options. The conventional treatment of a.m. and p.m. is Small Caps with
periods (you have to use lowercase in Word in order to apply the Small
Caps
format), and, like you, I am not crazy about seeing the abbreviations
without periods and especially butted up against the numbers. In
timetables
advertising text or the like (that is, anything other than a formal book)
I
don't mind AM and PM (in timetables you often see just A and P or a and p,
too, and that's practical to save space).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup
so
all may benefit.

 

[BK]

Thanks for the information.

Well to be fastidiously correct, your usage is correct and everything else
'should' be wrong. However, languages evolve and conventions change so now
either AM or am is widely acceptable. But they should be separate from the
numbers, as Suzanne has mentioned. Definitely avoid 12 am or 12 pm as so
many people don't know the origin of am/pm that they cannot work out which
is noon and which is midnight. So whenever practicable, write noon or
midnight.

 

[BK]

Oh no!! This is getting worse instead of better. <grin>

 

[Brian Mailman]

That's because am/a.m. is "ante (before) matin" and pm/p.m. is "post
(after) matin." 12 is "matin" so it's neither a nor p, but either noon
or midnight.

B/

 

[CyberTaz]

Actually we can have even more fun with this than you think

According to a number of sources the upper case (A.M.) is actually reserved
for either of the two phrases: "anno mundi" or "Artium Magister". Time of
day should be designated in lower case. Most sources I've seen articulate
that the periods be used.

Also, not to be "picky", but as I understand it, the "m" actually stands for
"meridiem" [du matin] and specifically refers to 12 Noon, or midday.

Ain't we got nuthin' better to do?;-)

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Actually, "ante meridiem" and "post meridiem." "Meridiem" is the accusative
case (because it's the object of the preposition "ante" or "post") of
"meridies," which literally means "midday" or "noon." M. alone thus stands
for noon (and never midnight).

 

[Howard Cross]

Not really... it's just getting good!

 

[Terry Farrell]

Mary knows what it means: she was confirming what I said about avoiding
using 12 am or 12 pm because most people can't work out which is midnight
and which is noon because they don't know the origin of am or pm.

Terry

 

[Brian Mailman]

The Baba Rum Raisin (me in my more profound moments) says: "ya live and
ya learn.... and then ya learn some more."

B/

 

[Rae Drysdale]

Just to change the focus, we use a period to divide the hours and minutes not
a colon. ;-)

 

[BK]

Should I apologize to everyone for starting such a long conversation
thread?!?!? <grin>

 

[Terry Farrell]

You are standing accused of wasting the Community's time.

Terry