morning
A1Neutral (used across all registers)
Definition
Meaning
The period of time from sunrise to noon.
The early part of the day, typically used as a greeting; the beginning or early stages of something.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun, but can be used attributively (e.g., morning coffee). The word can mark a time period, a greeting, or a metaphorical beginning. It is often used with possessive determiners (my morning, your morning).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. The greeting 'Morning!' (without 'Good') is more common in British English. 'In the morning' can be slightly more frequent in AmE for future reference (I'll do it in the morning), while 'tomorrow morning' is universal.
Connotations
Similar connotations of freshness, routine, and the start of the day's activities in both varieties.
Frequency
Extremely high frequency in both, with no significant divergence.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
in the morningon [day] morningfrom morning till nightmorning of [date]during the morningVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Morning after (the night before)”
- “Monday morning feeling”
- “Morning, noon, and night”
- “The morning has gold in its mouth (proverb)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in scheduling: 'The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday morning.'
Academic
Used descriptively or in methodological contexts: 'Data was collected on three consecutive mornings.'
Everyday
Extremely common for time reference and greeting: 'What are your plans for this morning?' 'Morning, David!'
Technical
In fields like meteorology ('morning frost'), astronomy ('morning star'), or medicine ('morning sickness').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- (To morning) - Extremely rare/archaic. Not in modern use.
American English
- (To morning) - Extremely rare/archaic. Not in modern use.
adverb
British English
- (Mornings) - She works mornings at the library.
- I go for a run mornings.
American English
- (Mornings) - He lectures mornings this semester.
- Mornings, I just drink coffee.
adjective
British English
- A morning stroll
- The morning papers
- Morning coffee
American English
- Morning traffic
- A morning talk show
- Morning routine
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I get up at seven o'clock in the morning.
- Good morning! How are you?
- We have school in the morning.
- The morning sun filled the kitchen with light.
- I'll finish the report tomorrow morning.
- She always feels tired on Monday mornings.
- The deal was finalised in the early hours of the following morning.
- Fog is common in the valleys on autumn mornings.
- He spent the whole morning meticulously proofreading the document.
- The ceasefire held through the night but collapsed by morning.
- Her optimism heralded a new morning for the beleaguered campaign.
- The data from the morning cohort showed a statistically significant variance.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the word 'MORN' within 'morning' – a new MORN-ing begins every day.
Conceptual Metaphor
MORNING IS A BEGINNING (e.g., 'the morning of life', 'a morning of new possibilities').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'утро' for the greeting - use 'Good morning' or 'Morning', not just 'Morning' as a direct translation in very formal written contexts.
- The preposition use differs: 'at morning' is incorrect; use 'in the morning'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'in' with specific days: 'on Monday morning' (not 'in Monday morning').
- Capitalising it in phrases like 'good morning' unless it starts a sentence.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the standard prepositional phrase for a non-specific morning period?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, 'Morning!' is a common, informal shortening of 'Good morning', particularly in British English. In very formal situations, 'Good morning' is preferable.
'Tomorrow morning' is specific to the day after today. 'In the morning' can refer to tomorrow morning by default, but can also refer to mornings in general (e.g., 'I jog in the morning'). Context clarifies.
Yes, it is frequently used attributively (functioning like an adjective) before another noun, e.g., 'morning news', 'morning routine'. It is not a true adjective that can be used predicatively (you wouldn't say 'The news is morning').
Yes, in informal English, particularly American English, 'mornings' can be used as a temporal adverb meaning 'in the morning repeatedly' or 'every morning', e.g., 'I work out mornings'.
Collections
Part of a collection
Daily Routine
A1 · 50 words · Words for describing your everyday activities and schedule.
Numbers and Time
A1 · 50 words · Numbers, dates, days and expressions of time.
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