Page 618 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

This is the fifth time you've asla!d me the same question (NOT This is theftfth tt"te Y61t ask ...)
That's the third cake you've eaten this morning.
It's one o f the most interesting books I've elJer read.
I'm flying to New York tomorrow. It'll be the first time I've travelled by plane.
When we talk about the past, we use the past perfect in these structures.
It was the third time he Iuul been in 10IJe that year. (NOT ••• the third time he
WflS in 18ue ...)
2 tenses with This is the last ... etc
Present (simple or progressive) and future tenses are both possible with This is the last ... and similar structures.
This is the last time I pay / ['m payingfor you. (OR This is the last time I'll pay for you.)
That's the last letter he gets / he's getting from me. (OR That's the last letter he'llgetfrom me.)
This is the last thing I'm going to say to you.
592 through: time
In American English, through can be used to mean 'up to and including'. The park is open from May through September.
In British English, through is not normally used in this way. Instead, British people say, for example, to ... inclusive, or until the end of...
The park is open from May to September inclusive. (OR ••• from May until the end ofSeptember.)
593 time
1 countability and article use
Time has various uses, some countable and some uncountable (for full details see a good dictionary). Most of these are straightforward, but there are problems in two areas:
a measure of duration: how long
When we talk about the number of hours, days etc that are needed to complete something, time is generally uncountable (and therefore used without a).
How much time do we need to load the van?
It took quite some time to persuade her to talk to us. Don't worry - there's plenty o f time.
This is a complete waste o f time.
However, time is countable in certain expressions like a long/short time and quite a time.
I took a long time to get to sleep. She was away for quite a time. The time can be used to mean 'enough time'; the is often dropped.
Just come with me - I haven't got (the) time to explain. For the use of lalee with expressions of time, see 576.
through: time 592
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