ENGLISH
REFERENCE

x hours a day

fixed phr..
A1 Beginner Oxford

fixed phr.. You use this phrase to say how many hours something happens each day. 'X' is a number.

fixed phr.. A fixed grammatical frame used to quantify the duration of an activity, occurring daily. The 'X' is a variable representing a number.


SIMPLE

I work eight hours a day.

CONTEXTUAL

To stay healthy, doctors recommend that you sleep at least seven hours a day.

COMPLEX

The contract stipulated that the junior developers were not to work more than ten hours a day, even during critical project phases.

Usage

The 'X' can be any number, and 'a day' can often be replaced with 'per day'.

Teaching tip

Teach this as a productive frame: 'X [unit] a [period]', such as 'three times a week' or 'two coffees a day'.

Pitfall

I work eight hour a day.I work eight hours a day.When the number 'X' is more than one, the unit 'hour' must be plural.

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