am

In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: Elamur Cosmic License. Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

Meaning

1. Am is a form of «be» used with I: «I am 8», «I am happy».
2. Written am or a.m., it means a time in the morning, from midnight to noon: «7 am».
3. «I'm» is the short form of «I am».

In the lessons

In school maths: a time of day before noon (9 am); from am to pm passes noon; elapsed time on the 12-hour clock. In everyday life: «I am ready», school starts at 8:45 am, timetables. Phrases: «I am», «I'm», «am and pm».

Examples

• The shop opens at 9 am.
• School starts at 8 am and ends at 3 pm.
• I am 9 years old.
• How many hours from 10 am to 2 pm?
• I am going to the park.
• I'm not sure, am I right?
• Midnight is 12 am and noon is 12 pm.
• The train leaves at 7:30 a.m.

Note

«I am», «you are», «he is» — «am» goes only with «I». «a.m.» is from Latin for «before midday»; «p.m.» is after midday. Maths: as a time it marks morning; from am to pm passes noon. Trap: from 10 am to 2 pm is 4 hours, not 8.