Word
half an hour
Definition
compound. A period of time that is 30 minutes long.
compound. A fixed noun phrase denoting a duration of thirty minutes, formed as a partitive construction (half + an + hour).
Examples
“The meeting is in half an hour.”
“I'll be ready in about half an hour, so you can start getting the car.”
“The documentary meticulously detailed the final half an hour of the flight, cross-referencing cockpit recordings with radar data.”
Examples
simple
“The meeting is in half an hour.”
contextual
“I'll be ready in about half an hour, so you can start getting the car.”
complex
“The documentary meticulously detailed the final half an hour of the flight, cross-referencing cockpit recordings with radar data.”
Usage
The indefinite article 'an' is required between 'half' and 'hour'.
Teaching tip
Contrast 'half an hour' (30 minutes) with 'an hour and a half' (90 minutes), as learners often confuse the word order and meaning.
Pitfall
I will wait for half hour.
I will wait for half an hour.
The article 'an' is required between 'half' and 'hour' in this construction.