Lesson 2 — US vs UK Time & Numbers (Quick Reference + Crossovers)

7:30 — US/Canada: seven thirty (“half past seven” also fine); UK: half seven.
Crossover: seven thirty is common in the UK too; half past seven works in both.

Weekend — US/Canada: on the weekend; UK: at the weekend.
Crossover: over the weekend works in both. On the weekend is increasingly heard in the UK; at the weekend sounds odd in North America.

Two weeks — UK: a fortnight; US/Canada: in two weeks.
Crossover: two weeks is natural in the UK as well; avoid fortnight in North America unless you’re mirroring UK style.

Noon vs Midday — US/Canada: noon (preferred); UK: midday (very common).
Crossover: noon is understood in the UK; midday is understood in North America (more formal). Prefer noon over “12 pm.” Both use midnight.

Phone numbers — 0 can be said oh or zero.
Crossover (updated): UK commonly uses double for repeats (e.g., double 0). North America typically says each digit; zero zero is preferred. “Double 0” is generally avoided in North America except for James Bond (double-oh seven).

Decimals (0.7) — US/Canada: zero point seven; UK: nought point seven or zero point seven.
Crossover: point seven is informal in both; for teaching, stick to zero/nought point seven (avoid oh point seven).

Scores — UK football: nil (e.g., two–nil); US sports: zero.
Crossover: US media may use nil when discussing soccer; both use love in tennis.

Dates — US: month–day–year; UK: day–month–year.
Crossover: Writing the month in letters (24 August 2025 / August 24, 2025) or using ISO (2025-08-24) avoids confusion everywhere.

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