hour
/ˈaʊə(r)/noun
उच्चारण आवर
घंटा; समय
Basic word
- 1
[C]
a period of 60 minutes; a period of about an hour, used for a particular purpose; a fixed period of time during which people work, an office is open; a particular point in time
घंटा; समय
- an hour later
- office hours
- the hour of need
+ 3 more examples
- The journey from Pune to Mumbai takes about three hours.
- I waited for half an hour outside the gate.
- Our lunch hour is from one to two o'clock.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
an hour (silent h)
The h is silent, so the word begins with a vowel sound and takes an, not a. The same applies to 'honest' and 'honour'.
इसमें h मौन है, इसलिए शब्द स्वर ध्वनि से शुरू होता है और 'a' नहीं, 'an' लगता है। 'Honest' और 'honour' में भी यही होता है।
- Wait here for an hour.
- It was an hour before the bus came.
number + hour(s) as a compound adjective
When the hour phrase comes before a noun as an adjective, hour stays singular and is joined with hyphens.
जब hour वाला phrase noun से पहले विशेषण बनता है, तब hour एकवचन रहता है और hyphen से जुड़ता है।
- It was a two-hour exam.
- She took a three-hour train journey.
at/for/in an hour
At marks a point, for a length of time, in the time before something happens.
At समय-बिंदु, for अवधि और in किसी घटना से पहले का समय बताता है।
- The train arrives at the hour.
- I studied for an hour.
- I will be back in an hour.
hours (plural): opening / working / visiting hours
In the plural it can mean the period of the day when something is open or when a person works.
Plural में यह दिन के उस समय को बताता है जब कुछ खुला रहता है या कोई काम करता है।
- The library's opening hours are 9 to 5.
- Doctors work long hours.
+Collocations 4
adjective + hour
wholehalfrushpeakearly
- The roads are crowded in the rush hour.
verb + hours
workspendkeepput inwaste
- She puts in four hours of study every night.
hours + of + noun
sleeppracticeworkdarkness
- Eight hours of sleep keep you fresh for exams.
time of day + hour
morningeveningmidnightlunch
- The lunch hour was extended on Friday.
“More examples 5
- The flight to Delhi takes about two hours.
दिल्ली की उड़ान में लगभग दो घंटे लगते हैं।
- My brother studies the whole day for the last hours before an exam.
मेरा भाई परीक्षा से पहले के अंतिम घंटों में पूरे दिन पढ़ता है।
- The clock struck the hour and the students rose.
घड़ी ने घंटा बजाया और विद्यार्थी खड़े हो गए।
- Visiting hours at the hospital are from five to seven.
अस्पताल में मिलने का समय पाँच से सात बजे तक है।
- In his hour of need, his friends stood by him.
उसकी ज़रूरत की घड़ी में उसके मित्र उसके साथ खड़े रहे।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ I waited for a hour at the station.
✓ I waited for an hour at the station.
Hour begins with a vowel sound, so use an.
Hour स्वर ध्वनि से शुरू होता है, इसलिए an लगेगा।
✗ It is a two-hours journey.
✓ It is a two-hour journey.
In a compound adjective the noun stays singular.
Compound विशेषण में noun एकवचन रहता है।
✗ She will come after one hours.
✓ She will come after one hour.
One takes a singular noun.
One के बाद एकवचन noun आता है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
These words all measure time, but they differ in exact length.
ये सभी शब्द समय मापते हैं, पर निश्चित अवधि में अंतर है।
A length of time of any size, such as a school lesson.
किसी भी लंबाई का समय, जैसे विद्यालय का एक पीरियड।
- The first period is maths.
¶Idioms 7
the small hours
the period of time very early in the morning, soon after midnight
आधी रात के बाद का समय, तड़के
- We talked into the small hours.
- The fire broke out in the small hours of Sunday.
after hours
after the normal opening hours of a shop, bar or office
(दुकान, दफ़्तर आदि के) सामान्य समय के बाद
- The staff often work after hours.
- He was caught in the office after hours.
at all hours
at any time, especially late at night
किसी भी समय (ख़ासकर देर रात)
- Our neighbours play music at all hours.
- She works at all hours of the day and night.
by the hour
(paid) according to the number of hours worked
घंटे के हिसाब से
- The workers are paid by the hour.
- You can rent bicycles by the hour.
sb's finest hour
the time when sb is most successful
(किसी के) जीवन का सबसे शानदार समय
- Winning the World Cup was the team's finest hour.
- The speech was her finest hour.
the man/woman of the hour
a person who is being praised for sth they did recently
(हाल की उपलब्धि के लिए) चर्चा का केंद्र व्यक्ति
- After scoring the winning goal, he was the man of the hour.
- Radhika was the woman of the hour after topping the state.
on the hour
at the exact start of every hour
हर घंटे पर ठीक (जैसे एक बजे, दो बजे)
- Trains leave on the hour.
- The news is broadcast every hour on the hour.
◇Word family
?Which word?
Homophone: hour and our are both /ˈaʊə/.
Homophone: hour और our दोनों /ˈaʊə/ हैं।
§Grammar and usage
An hour (not 'a hour', because the h is silent: /ˈaʊə/), like an honest man, an heir and an honour.
यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: an hour ('a hour' नहीं, क्योंकि h silent है: /ˈaʊə/), an honest man, an heir और an honour की तरह।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
The eleventh hour (the last possible moment: 'They reached at the eleventh hour'), the hour of need (a time when you need help), on the hour (exactly at 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock), at all hours (at any time, day or night), rush hour (when traffic is heaviest), happy hour, the man of the hour (the person everyone is praising now), zero hour (in Parliament, the time after Question Hour when members can raise urgent issues).
Idioms: the eleventh hour (अंतिम संभव क्षण: 'They reached at the eleventh hour', ऐन वक़्त पर), the hour of need (मदद की ज़रूरत का समय), on the hour (ठीक 1 बजे, 2 बजे), at all hours (किसी भी समय, दिन या रात), rush hour (जब यातायात सबसे अधिक हो), happy hour, the man of the hour (जिसकी अभी सब प्रशंसा कर रहे हों), zero hour (संसद में प्रश्नकाल के बाद का समय जब सदस्य अत्यावश्यक मुद्दे उठा सकते हैं, शून्यकाल)।
✓In the exam
General knowledge
Question Hour is the first hour of a sitting of Parliament.
प्रश्नकाल संसद की बैठक का पहला घंटा है।