Skill: Distinguish a.m. and p.m.

A day has two parts for each clock number:

• a.m. means the time is from midnight through the morning, before noon.
• p.m. means the time is from noon through the afternoon, evening, and night.

So, the clock reading 7:00 can mean two different times:

• 7:00 a.m. is in the morning.
• 7:00 p.m. is in the evening.

Example: Maya eats breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and goes to bed at 7:00 p.m. Which event happens first?

1. Look at the letters after each time.
2. a.m. tells us the time is in the morning.
3. p.m. tells us the time is in the evening.
4. Morning comes before evening.

Therefore, Maya eats breakfast at 7:00 a.m. first, and she goes to bed at 7:00 p.m. later.