Vocabulary · Lesson 5

Daily routines & telling the time

Talk about a typical day from morning to night. Learn routine chunks such as wake up, have breakfast, and go to work, then connect each one to a clear time: I get up at six thirty. She starts work at nine.

45–55 min coreroutine chunks and sequencedigital and past/to clock styles15–20 min optional listening and retrieval

NoticeCompare two fictional schedules.

DiscoverRead the clock; choose at or in.

BuildMatch times, choose, and build sentences.

UsePresent a fictional weekday and weekend.

Routine verbs follow the present-simple system. Compare I get / she gets, I go / she goes, I have / she has, and I finish / she finishes. The present simple lesson teaches the complete spelling and question system; here you use it inside routine chunks.

Two-minute retrieval

Three quick checks from earlier lessons

Answer from memory, then check. Say each complete sentence aloud.

1The fictional schedule lists Maya as the one morning receptionist: Maya work at nine every weekday. (present simple)

2The attendance log shows Maya arrives before nine on every workday: She is at the desk before nine. (adverbs of frequency)

3The appointment card gives the exact time 8:30: The appointment is 8:30. (prepositions of time)

Meet the routine

This is a routine word bank, not one required lifestyle. Learn the words as chunks and choose only the ones that fit a fictional or voluntary schedule.

wake up

brush my teeth

take a shower

have breakfast

go to work

work

have lunch

exercise

relax in the evening

go to bed

wash my face

shave

cook dinner

drive

take the train

go shopping

watch TV

check my phone

study

Notice before the rule

Two mornings, side by side

"I get up at 6:30. I take a shower and have breakfast. I go to work at 8:00."
"She gets up at 7:00. She has breakfast at home. She starts work at 9:00."

The verbs change a little between the two people. Compare I get up and She gets up. What is added for she?
Each action has a clock time. Which small word comes right before 6:30, 8:00, and 9:00?
How would you read 6:30 out loud? And 9:00? Try both before you read on.

Discovery check: read the clock, then choose

Choose the requested past/to-style phrase. You will compare it with common U.S. number-style times next.

1seven (7:00)

2 seven (7:30)

3 seven (7:15)

4 eight (7:45)

The system: two ways to read the clock

U.S. English commonly uses number style: say the hour first and then the minutes. 6:30 is six thirty, and 8:45 is eight forty-five. The traditional past/to style is also correct and widely understood. In that style, describe the minutes in relation to the hour.

clock	common number style	past/to style
8:00	eight / eight o’clock	eight o’clock
8:15	eight fifteen	quarter past eight
8:30	eight thirty	half past eight
8:45	eight forty-five	quarter to nine

For minutes from 01 through 09, number style normally says oh: 8:05 = eight oh five. Add a.m. for a time before noon and p.m. for a time after noon when the part of day is not already clear: 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m..

Use o’clock only with an exact hour ending in :00. Say at nine o’clock, at nine a.m., or at nine in the morning. Avoid the redundant combination nine o’clock a.m..

Meaning check

Does quarter to nine mean 9:15? No. To means before, so it is 8:45. Quarter past is after the hour.
Is half past six the same as 6:30? Yes. Half past always means thirty minutes after the hour.
What about 12:00? Use noon for the middle of the day and midnight for the middle of the night. These words avoid possible confusion between 12 a.m. and 12 p.m..

The system: routine chunks across the day

Learn these as whole chunks and keep their small words together. The order below is one fictional weekday, not a rule about how every person lives.

part of day	routine chunk	example
early morning	wake up · get up · take a shower	I wake up at 6:30.
morning	have breakfast · go to work · start work	I start work at 9:00.
midday	have lunch · take a break	I have lunch at noon.
afternoon / evening	finish work · get home · have dinner	I finish work at 5:00.
night	relax · go to bed	I go to bed at 11:00.

A routine is a repeated pattern

The present simple describes what usually happens, not necessarily what is happening at this moment. A routine can happen every weekday, on Saturdays, or only sometimes: Maya usually starts work at 8:45. On Saturdays, she does not work.

Sequence the pattern so another person can follow it: First, Maya wakes up. Then she gets up. After that, she has breakfast. Finally, she leaves home.

Similar chunks do different jobs

contrast	meaning	example
wake up / get up	stop sleeping / leave the bed	I wake up at 6:30, but I get up at 6:45.
go to work / start work	travel there / begin working	She goes to work at eight and starts work at nine.
finish work / get home	stop working / arrive at home	He finishes work at five and gets home at six.

Say go to work and go to school, but say go home and get home with no to. For meals in general, use no article: have breakfast, have lunch, have dinner.

Some routine chunks change a possessive word with the person: I brush my teeth, Maya brushes her teeth, and Omar checks his phone. If a fictional profile does not specify gender, singular their is natural: Alex checks their phone.

Place the time expression

Use at before a clock time, and in before a general part of the day:

at 7:00 · at noon · at midnight
in the morning · in the afternoon · in the evening
at night (this one uses at, not in)

Use on before a named day: on Monday. Do not add a preposition before every, this, or last: every morning, this afternoon, last night. The exact start of morning, afternoon, and evening can vary, so add a clock time when precision matters.

Ask and answer about a routine time

Use What time do + I/you/we/they + base verb? and What time does + he/she/it + base verb? After does, the routine verb returns to its base form.

question	short answer	complete answer
What time do you start work?	At nine.	I start work at nine.
What time does Maya start work?	At nine.	She starts work at nine.

Compare the verb forms: Maya starts, but What time does Maya start?, not does Maya starts.

Sound natural: join the routine and make the time clear

Routine phrases work as spoken chunks. The small words become light, while the action and clock time carry the useful beats.

chunk	natural rhythm	what to notice
get up	I get UP at six thirty.	say get-up smoothly; the linked t can sound like a quick d in U.S. speech
go to work	I go to WORK at eight.	to is usually unstressed /tə/
have breakfast	I have BREAKfast at seven.	breakfast has two spoken parts; the first is strong
quarter to nine	a QUARter to NINE	in American speech, the middle t in quarter can sound close to a soft d

Say number-style times in two groups: 6:30 → six thirty, 8:45 → eight forty-five. For a.m. and p.m., say each letter name: seven A-M · seven P-M.

Keep the third-person ending audible: gets ends /s/, goes and has end /z/, and finishes adds a final syllable /ɪz/. In What time does Maya start?, does can be light, but start stays in the base form.

Listen: which time or person did you hear?

Your teacher reads each fictional line once with natural U.S. rhythm and once more slowly. Listen for exact minutes, a.m. or p.m., and whether the question asks about the listener or another person. Check your answer before discussing the line with your tutor.

Tutor-read listening check

1Clip 1 gives .

2Clip 2 gives .

3Clip 3 gives .

4Clip 4 .

5Clip 5 .

6Clip 6 describes .

Drill 1: choose the routine chunk

Read the complete situation. Choose the whole chunk that names the stated event.

1The alarm rings at 6:30, and that sound ends my sleep, so I .

2The fictional meal plan lists the first meal at 7:00: I at 7:00.

3I arrive at the office at 8:45, but my paid tasks begin at 9:00, when I .

4The schedule says no work from noon to 12:30: At noon I .

5The final task ends at 5:00, and no work follows: I at 5:00.

6The fictional bedtime reminder is set for 11:00 p.m.: I at that time.

Drill 2: at or in?

Use at before a clock time or night. Use in before the morning, afternoon, or evening.

1I wake up 6:30. (clock time)

2I drink coffee the morning. (part of day)

3She starts work nine o'clock. (clock time)

4We relax the evening. (part of day)

5He gets home half past six. (clock time)

6I go to bed night. (fixed phrase: at night)

Build the meaning, then the sentence

Drill 3: match each time phrase to the clock

Tap a time phrase, then tap the one digital clock that matches it.

Drill 4: build the sentence

A fictional first-person schedule begins work at 9:00. Build the sentence, then say it.

Drill 5: build the sentence for she

A fictional coworker eats at 12:00. Watch the verb for she, and use noon.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 6: the verb for he or she

Tap the word that is wrong.

Drill 7: at or in?

Tap the word that is wrong in “I drink coffee at the morning.”

Drill 8: say the routine sentence, then reveal

Read the cue and the time, then say the full present-simple sentence aloud. Reveal only after you answer.

1 I / get up / 6:30 → full sentence

I get up at half past six.

2 She / start work / 9:00 → full sentence

She starts work at nine o'clock.

3 We / have lunch / 12:00 → full sentence

We have lunch at noon.

4 He / finish work / 5:00 → full sentence

He finishes work at five o'clock.

5 I / go to bed / 11:00 p.m. → full sentence

I go to bed at eleven p.m.

Read and choose

One fictional weekday

“My alarm rings at 6:30. I take a shower, have coffee, and catch the bus at 7:45. I start work at nine and have lunch at one. In the evening I cook dinner, and I go to bed at eleven.”

Read, then choose

1. What time does the alarm ring?

2. How does this person go to work?

3. When is lunch?

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

A nurse’s weekday

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Staff profile83 wordsAbout 1 min

Omar is a nurse at a city hospital. On weekdays, he wakes up at 5:45 and has a quick breakfast. He takes the bus at 6:30 and starts work at seven.

At noon, he eats lunch with his coworkers in the hospital cafe. The cafe is quiet at that time. He finishes work at three and gets home at four.

In the evening, he cooks dinner and relaxes on the sofa. Omar goes to bed at ten, because his alarm is very early!

Find it

Tap the 10 present simple verbs that end in -s or -es. Skip is.

Check your understanding

1. What time does Omar start work?

2. Where does Omar have lunch?

3. What does Omar do in the evening?

Crossword

Routine and clock words

Click a clue or a square, then type. Press Check when you finish.

Across

Down

Memory

Clock memory

Flip two cards. If they belong together, they stay. Find every pair in as few turns as you can.

Unscramble

Routine questions and answers

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. Ask about Maya’s start time.
2. Maya eats at 12:00.
3. My bedtime: 11:00 p.m.
4. Ask another person about the morning.

Use it in a realistic schedule

You never need to disclose your real sleep, meals, commute, workplace, schedule, contacts, or home life. Use the fictional profile below, invent another adult, or share only a routine you are comfortable discussing.

Maya’s fictional community-center schedule

weekday	weekend
6:30 a.m. wake up; 6:45 get up	8:30 a.m. wake up and get up
7:15 have breakfast	9:00 have breakfast
8:10 take the bus; 8:45 start work	12:00 go shopping
12:30 p.m. have lunch; 5:15 finish work	3:30 p.m. exercise
6:00 get home; 10:45 go to bed	11:30 p.m. go to bed

Build the weekday: Put six weekday actions in time order. Use first, then, after that, and finally. Keep wake up and get up distinct.

Ask about Maya: Ask four questions with What time does Maya…? Your partner gives a short answer and a complete answer from the schedule. What time does Maya start work? At eight forty-five. She starts work at eight forty-five.

Weekday and weekend: Make three clear contrasts. On weekdays, she wakes up at six thirty. On weekends, she wakes up at eight thirty.

Change the person: Retell three actions as Maya and three with I. Change has / have, goes / go, and finishes / finish accurately.

Final production: present Maya’s two-day routine for 45–60 seconds. Include at least six routine chunks, four exact times, one morning or evening phrase, one weekday/weekend contrast, and one What time does…? question with its answer. Use natural number-style times and keep small words light.

Reflect

Say the system back

Complete this aloud: “In number style, 7:30 is ______. In past/to style, it is ______. Before a clock time I use ______; before a general part of the day I usually use ______, but I say ______ night.”

Then explain the difference between wake up and get up, and change Maya starts work into a What time…? question.

Final quiz: times, routine chunks, and present forms

1. Which past/to-style phrase means 6:30?

2. Which past/to-style phrase means 8:45?

3. The fictional schedule gives an exact time: I start work ___ nine o'clock.

4. The schedule gives only a general part of day: We relax ___ the evening.

5. The routine belongs to one person: Ana ___ at seven every day.

6. The schedule labels noon “meal break”: At noon I stop working and ___.

7. Complete the conventional phrase with night: I sometimes study ___.

8. The subject is he, and 5:00 is an exact time. Which sentence is correct?

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the chunk, clock style, question form, or spoken contrast that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose the missing routine form

1The alarm ends Maya’s sleep at 6:30, but she stays in bed until 6:45: She at 6:30.

2The bus arrives at Maya’s home at six: She at six.

3The interviewer asks about Maya: What time does Maya work?

Repair the exact-time preposition

The fictional class schedule says, “The class starts in 8:05 a.m.” Tap the one preposition to replace.

Thirty-second retrieval

Without looking back, invent a safe fictional routine with wake-up and get-up times, one meal, one arrival-home time, one third-person verb, and one What time does…? question with its answer.

Maya wakes up at six thirty and gets up at six forty-five. She has breakfast at seven fifteen and gets home at six. What time does she go to bed? She goes to bed at ten forty-five.