Meaning
Indicates that a particular action should be taken now or soon, often implying that it is already overdue.
Primary Function
Expressing urgency or necessity
Communicative Purpose
To convey a sense of impatience, urgency, or strong suggestion
Pattern
It's time
Core Structure
It's time
Função primária
Expressing urgency or necessity
Propósito comunicativo
To convey a sense of impatience, urgency, or strong suggestion
Situações de gatilho
Delays, prolonged situations, or overdue actions
Contextos
Informal conversations, workplace discussions, parental advice
Padrão
It's time
Estrutura central
It's time
Slots de substituição
to‑infinitive clause (or for + noun phrase + to‑infinitive)
Colocados típicos
- to
- for
Substituições comuns
- It's time for + object + to-infinitive
- It's time to + verb
Erros comuns
Using present tense instead of to-infinitive or past simple
Similar / contraste
It's time to, We'd better
Interferências
Confusion between past simple and to-infinitive forms
Família do chunk
- It's about time
- It's high time
- It's time to
Nuance
Creates a sense of urgency and necessity, with 'high time' implying greater impatience
Efeito pragmático
Polite yet insistent, conveying a sense of importance
Dica de memória
Urgent action required
Nota
The chunk follows a fixed formulaic pattern where the past tense verb signals urgency or necessity (unreal past subjunctive). It is commonly used to express impatience about delayed action.
Upgrade path
It is high time that, The time has come to
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