Chapter: Days in a Calendar
đ Vocabulary
English for Today Class Five
â Most Important Exam Words
calendarsecondminutehourdayweekmonthyearSundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberdatefirstlastbeforeafternextpreviousweekendtodayyesterdaytomorrownowwhathow manyanswerquestionnumbertwelvetwenty-fourthirtysixtythree hundred and sixty-fiveleap yearcommon year
đ Word Formation Rules
âē Add the suffix -ly to some adjectives to form adverbs, for example, day + ly = daily, meaning āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨.
âē Add -s to many singular countable nouns to form plurals, for example, day + s = days and month + s = months.
âē Some compound nouns are formed by joining two words, for example, week + end = weekend.
âē The word yesterday refers to the previous day, while tomorrow refers to the next day.
âē Ordinal numbers show order: one becomes first, two becomes second, three becomes third, and four becomes fourth.
âē Use capital letters for the names of days and months: Sunday, Monday, January, and December.
1. Calendar and Time Units (8 words)
calendar[/ËkÃĻlÉĒndÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻĒāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻāĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨āĻĒāĻā§āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°āĻŋāĻ āĻ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸ āĻĻā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻ¤āĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻž
Example: I look at the calendar to know the date.
Syn: datebook
đĄ Exam tip: Remember: a calendar shows days, dates, weeks, and months.
second[/ËsekÉnd/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ¨ā§āĻĄ
Alt: āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻ° āĻā§āĻˇā§āĻĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻāĻ
Example: There are sixty seconds in a minute.
Syn: moment
đĄ Exam tip: One minute has 60 seconds.
minute[/ËmÉĒnÉĒt/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŽāĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋāĻ
Alt: āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻ° āĻāĻāĻ
Example: There are sixty minutes in an hour.
Syn: moment
đĄ Exam tip: One hour has 60 minutes.
hour[/aĘÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
Alt: āĻˇāĻžāĻ āĻŽāĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋāĻā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ
Example: There are twenty-four hours in a day.
Syn: period
đĄ Exam tip: One day has 24 hours.
day[/deÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Alt: āĻāĻŦā§āĻŦāĻŋāĻļ āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻžāĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ
Example: There are seven days in a week.
Syn: dateAnt: night
đĄ Exam tip: Day can mean a period of 24 hours.
week[/wiËk/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻžāĻš
Alt: āĻ¸āĻžāĻ¤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ
Example: There are seven days in a week.
Syn: seven-day period
đĄ Exam tip: Learn the spelling and order of the seven days.
month[/mĘnθ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻāĻžāĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ
Example: January is the first month of the year.
Syn: calendar month
đĄ Exam tip: A year has twelve months.
year[/jÉĒÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŦāĻāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧāĻāĻžāĻ˛
Example: There are 365 days in a year.
Syn: twelve-month period
đĄ Exam tip: A common year has 365 days.
2. Days of the Week (8 words)
Sunday[/ËsĘndeÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ°āĻŦāĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻ¸āĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻžāĻšā§āĻ° āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Sunday is the first day shown in the calendar.
đĄ Exam tip: Use a capital letter for the names of days.
Monday[/ËmĘndeÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¸ā§āĻŽāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻ°āĻŦāĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Monday comes after Sunday.
đĄ Exam tip: Monday is written with a capital M.
Tuesday[/ËtjuËzdeÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŽāĻā§āĻāĻ˛āĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻ¸ā§āĻŽāĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Tuesday comes before Wednesday.
đĄ Exam tip: Check the spelling: Tuesday, not Tuseday.
Wednesday[/ËwenzdeÉĒ/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻŦā§āĻ§āĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻŽāĻā§āĻāĻ˛āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Wednesday is the middle of the school week.
đĄ Exam tip: The first d is silent in pronunciation.
Thursday[/ËθÉËrzdeÉĒ/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻŦā§āĻšāĻ¸ā§āĻĒāĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦā§āĻ§āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: The first Thursday of January is the second day.
đĄ Exam tip: Thursday begins with the sound /θ/.
Friday[/ËfraÉĒdeÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻļā§āĻā§āĻ°āĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦā§āĻšāĻ¸ā§āĻĒāĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Friday comes before Saturday.
đĄ Exam tip: Friday is the sixth day in the calendar order shown.
Saturday[/ËsÃĻtÉrdeÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻļāĻ¨āĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻļā§āĻā§āĻ°āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: The first Saturday of January is the fourth day.
đĄ Exam tip: Saturday is spelled with one t after Sa.
weekday[/ËwiËkdeÉĒ/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻĻāĻŋāĻŦāĻ¸
Alt: āĻ¸āĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻžāĻšā§āĻ° āĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ āĻāĻžā§āĻž āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Monday is a weekday.
Syn: working dayAnt: weekend
đĄ Exam tip: Weekday means a day from Monday to Friday in common usage.
3. Months of the Year (12 words)
January[/ËdĘÃĻnjueri/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻ°āĻŋ
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻĨāĻŽ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: January is the first month of the year.
đĄ Exam tip: January begins with a capital J.
February[/Ëfebrueri/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻĢā§āĻŦā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻ°āĻŋ
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻā§āĻŦāĻŋāĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻŧ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: February comes after January.
đĄ Exam tip: Remember the spelling: February has one r after b in standard spelling.
March[/mÉËrtĘ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŽāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¤ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ¯āĻŧ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: March comes before April.
đĄ Exam tip: March is also a verb meaning āĻšāĻžāĻāĻāĻž āĻā§āĻāĻāĻžāĻāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻ˛āĻž, but here it is a month.
April[/ËeÉĒprÉl/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻĒā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻāĻ¤ā§āĻ°ā§āĻĨ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: April has thirty days.
đĄ Exam tip: April comes after March and before May.
May[/meÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŽā§
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻā§āĻāĻŽ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: May comes after April.
June[/dĘuËn/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻā§āĻ¨
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻˇāĻˇā§āĻ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: June comes before July.
đĄ Exam tip: June is the sixth month.
July[/dĘuËlaÉĒ/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻ
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻŽ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: July is after June.
đĄ Exam tip: July and June both begin with Ju.
August[/ËÉËÉĄÉst/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻāĻāĻ¸ā§āĻ
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ
āĻˇā§āĻāĻŽ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: August comes before September.
đĄ Exam tip: August is spelled with au at the beginning.
September[/sepËtembÉr/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¸ā§āĻĒā§āĻā§āĻŽā§āĻŦāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¨āĻŦāĻŽ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: September comes after August.
đĄ Exam tip: September is the ninth month, although its name begins with sept, meaning seven.
October[/ÉkËtÉĘbÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ
āĻā§āĻā§āĻŦāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻļāĻŽ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: October comes before November.
đĄ Exam tip: The month before October is September.
November[/nÉĘËvembÉr/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¨āĻā§āĻŽā§āĻŦāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻāĻāĻžāĻĻāĻļ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: November comes after October.
đĄ Exam tip: November is the eleventh month.
December[/dÉĒËsembÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻĄāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻŽā§āĻŦāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻļā§āĻˇ āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸
Example: December is the last month of the year.
Syn: year-end month
đĄ Exam tip: December is the twelfth and last month.
4. Calendar Dates and Positions (8 words)
date[/deÉĒt/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°āĻŋāĻ
Alt: āĻŽāĻžāĻ¸ā§āĻ° āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: What is today's date?
Syn: day
đĄ Exam tip: Ask: What is the date? Answer with the day, month, and year.
first[/fÉËrst/]adjectiveeasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻĨāĻŽ
Alt: āĻā§āĻ°āĻŽā§āĻ° āĻļā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻĨāĻžāĻāĻž
Example: January is the first month of the year.
Syn: initialAnt: last
đĄ Exam tip: First is an ordinal number.
last[/lÃĻst/]adjectiveeasy
Meaning: āĻļā§āĻˇ
Alt: āĻā§āĻ°āĻŽā§āĻ° āĻāĻā§āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻļā§āĻˇā§ āĻĨāĻžāĻāĻž
Example: December is the last month of the year.
Syn: finalAnt: first
đĄ Exam tip: Last means final or coming after all others.
before[/bÉĒËfÉËr/]prepositioneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻāĻ¨āĻžāĻ° āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻŦā§
Example: April comes before May.
Syn: earlier thanAnt: after
đĄ Exam tip: Use before for an earlier time or position.
after[/ËÉËftÉr/]prepositioneasy
Meaning: āĻĒāĻ°ā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻ¸āĻŽāĻ¯āĻŧ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻāĻ¨āĻžāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°
Example: June comes after May.
Syn: later thanAnt: before
đĄ Exam tip: Use after for a later time or position.
next[/nekst/]adjectiveeasy
Meaning: āĻĒāĻ°āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§
Alt: āĻāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ°
Example: What is the next month after March?
Syn: followingAnt: previous
đĄ Exam tip: Next means the one immediately following.
previous[/ËpriËviÉs/]adjectivemedium
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§
Alt: āĻāĻ° āĻāĻā§āĻ°
Example: Monday is the previous day before Tuesday.
Syn: earlierAnt: next
đĄ Exam tip: Previous means coming before in time or order.
weekend[/ËwiËkËend/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻžāĻĒā§āĻ¤āĻžāĻšāĻŋāĻ āĻā§āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¸āĻžāĻ§āĻžāĻ°āĻŖāĻ¤ āĻļāĻ¨āĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ° āĻ āĻ°āĻŦāĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Example: We visit our grandparents at the weekend.
Syn: days offAnt: weekday
đĄ Exam tip: Weekend is written as one word.
5. Calendar Questions and Answers (8 words)
today[/tÉËdeÉĒ/]adverbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ
Alt: āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻŽāĻžāĻ¨ āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§
Example: Today is Monday.
Syn: this dayAnt: yesterday
đĄ Exam tip: Today refers to the present day.
yesterday[/ËjestÉrdeÉĒ/]adverbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ¤āĻāĻžāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻāĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Yesterday was Sunday.
Syn: the previous dayAnt: tomorrow
đĄ Exam tip: Use was or were with yesterday for past statements.
tomorrow[/tÉËmÉrÉĘ/]adverbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻāĻžāĻŽā§āĻāĻžāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻāĻā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨
Example: Tomorrow will be Tuesday.
Syn: the next dayAnt: yesterday
đĄ Exam tip: Use will with tomorrow for future statements.
now[/naĘ/]adverbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻāĻ¨
Alt: āĻāĻ āĻŽā§āĻšā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§
Example: What month is it now?
Syn: at presentAnt: then
đĄ Exam tip: Now refers to the present time.
what[/wÉt/]pronouneasy
Meaning: āĻā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻā§āĻ¨
Alt: āĻ¤āĻĨā§āĻ¯ āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻ¤ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšā§āĻ¤ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻļā§āĻ¨āĻŦā§āĻ§āĻ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻ
Example: What day is it today?
đĄ Exam tip: Use what to ask about a thing, date, day, or month.
how many[/haĘ Ëmeni/]adverbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ¤āĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻ¤āĻā§āĻ˛ā§
Alt: āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻž āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻ¤ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšā§āĻ¤ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻļā§āĻ¨āĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻāĻļ
Example: How many months are there in a year?
đĄ Exam tip: Use how many with countable plural nouns.
answer[/ËÉËnsÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ¤ā§āĻ¤āĻ°
Alt: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻļā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻāĻŦāĻžāĻŦ
Example: There are twelve months in a year is the answer.
Syn: replyAnt: question
đĄ Exam tip: Answer can be both a noun and a verb.
question[/ËkwestĘÉn/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻļā§āĻ¨
Alt: āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ° āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻŦāĻ˛āĻž āĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯
Example: Read the question carefully before answering it.
Syn: queryAnt: answer
đĄ Exam tip: A question usually ends with a question mark.
6. Numbers and Special Calendar Terms (8 words)
number[/ËnĘmbÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻž
Alt: āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻŽāĻžāĻŖ āĻŦāĻž āĻā§āĻ°āĻŽ āĻŦā§āĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻāĻŋāĻšā§āĻ¨
Example: Write the number of days in a year.
Syn: figure
đĄ Exam tip: Number can show quantity or order.
twelve[/twelv/]numbereasy
Meaning: āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§
Alt: ā§§ā§§-āĻāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻž
Example: There are twelve months in a year.
đĄ Exam tip: Twelve months make one year.
twenty-four[/Ëtwenti ËfÉËr/]numbereasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŦā§āĻŦāĻŋāĻļ
Alt: ā§¨ā§Š-āĻāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻž
Example: There are twenty-four hours in a day.
đĄ Exam tip: Use a hyphen in twenty-four when writing it in words.
thirty[/ËθÉËrti/]numbereasy
Meaning: āĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻļ
Alt: ā§Šā§Ļ-āĻāĻ° āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻž
Example: April has thirty days.
đĄ Exam tip: Do not confuse thirty with thirteen.
sixty[/ËsÉĒksti/]numbereasy
Meaning: āĻˇāĻžāĻ
Alt: ā§Ŧā§Ļ āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻāĻŋ
Example: There are sixty minutes in an hour.
đĄ Exam tip: Sixty seconds make one minute and sixty minutes make one hour.
three hundred and sixty-five[/θriË ËhĘndrÉd ÃĻnd ËsÉĒksti faÉĒv/]numbermedium
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻŋāĻ¨āĻļ āĻĒāĻāĻ¯āĻŧāĻˇāĻā§āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¸āĻžāĻ§āĻžāĻ°āĻŖ āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻāĻā§āĻ¯āĻž
Example: There are 365 days in a year.
đĄ Exam tip: Write 365 as three hundred and sixty-five.
leap year[/ËliËp jÉĒÉr/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ
āĻ§āĻŋāĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻˇ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§ ā§Šā§Ŧā§Ŧ āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ āĻĨāĻžāĻā§
Example: There are 366 days in a leap year.
Syn: bissextile yearAnt: common year
đĄ Exam tip: A leap year has 366 days.
common year[/ËkÉmÉn jÉĒÉr/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻžāĻ§āĻžāĻ°āĻŖ āĻŦāĻāĻ°
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ āĻŦāĻāĻ°ā§ ā§Šā§Ŧā§Ģ āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¨ āĻĨāĻžāĻā§
Example: A common year has 365 days.
Syn: ordinary yearAnt: leap year
đĄ Exam tip: Compare common year with leap year in exams.
đĄ Exam Tips
âĸ Memorise the correct order of the seven days and twelve months.
âĸ Names of days and months always begin with capital letters.
âĸ Use before for an earlier time and after for a later time.
âĸ Use first and last to describe beginning and ending positions.
âĸ Remember the facts: 60 seconds make a minute, 60 minutes make an hour, 24 hours make a day, 7 days make a week, and 12 months make a year.
âĸ A common year has 365 days, whereas a leap year has 366 days.
âĸ For questions about quantity, use the pattern: How many + plural noun + are there?
âĸ For date questions, practise the patterns What day is it? and What is today's date?
âĸ Use was with yesterday and will be with tomorrow in suitable sentences.
âĸ Check the spelling of difficult month names such as February, September, and November.