All about the structure of It’s high time and detailed exercises

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I. What is the structure of It’s high time?

II. How to use the It’s high time structure in English

1. It’s high time + S + V-ed/V2

2. It’s high time for somebody to V

III. Equivalent structures to replace the It’s high time structure

1. It’s time structure

2. It’s about time structure

IV. Exercise applying the It’s high time structure with detailed answers

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Đọc tóm tắt

- It’s high time structure is used to advise or remind someone to do something immediately.
- It refers to actions in the present or future, even though it appears in the past tense form.
- There are two basic usage patterns: It’s high time + S + V-ed/V2 and It’s high time for somebody to V.
- Equivalent structures to replace It’s high time include It’s time and It’s about time.
- Practice exercises can help reinforce understanding and usage of the It’s high time structure.

Do you often say: 'It’s time to go to school!', 'It’s time for the child to cook!'? So how would you say these sentences in English? This is when we need to use the It’s high time structure to remind someone to do something right at that moment. So how is this structure used and what is the formula? Let’s find out in this article with Mytour.

Basic knowledge about the It's high time structure

I. What is the structure of It’s high time?

It’s high time is a phrase used to advise or remind someone that something must be done immediately at the time of speaking. Especially when the speaker wants to convey the meaning that it's a bit late and you need to do it right away (meaning it should happen immediately, the sooner the better). This is a quite unique and special structure because, although it seems to be in the simple past form, in reality, the It’s high time structure refers to actions in the present or future.

For example:

- It is high time to finish the homework. Tomorrow you will take the final exam. (Đã đến lúc hoàn thành bài tập về nhà. Ngày mai bạn sẽ làm bài kiểm tra cuối kỳ.)
- It is high time my friend returned me the book she had borrowed. (Đã đến lúc bạn tôi trả lại tôi cuốn sách mà cô ấy đã mượn.)

What is the It's high time structure?

II. How to use the It’s high time structure in English

So what does It’s high time + mean? The It’s high time structure has 2 basic usage patterns that you need to know. Let's explore the detailed formula, meaning, and examples of each type.

1. It’s high time + S + V-ed/V2

The It’s high time + S + V-ed/V2 structure is used in the past tense form of verbs, emphasizing the time when an action, an event needs to be done immediately at that moment.

Formula:

It’s high time + S + Ved/V2

For example:

- It’s high time Jimmy went to bed. He will have a run contest at 6.30 tomorrow morning. (Đã đến lúc Jimmy cần đi ngủ rồi. Anh ấy có một cuộc thi chạy vào 6.30 ngày mai.)
- It’s high time Alex bought a new dress. The old one was too out of fashion. (Đã đến lúc Alex mua một chiếc váy mới. Cái cũ đã quá lỗi thời.)

2. It’s high time for somebody to V

The It’s high time for sb structure, following a subject, carries a similar meaning to the previous structure but with a slight difference in the nature of the sentence. This structure is often used when wanting to emphasize criticism of something someone has done late and needs to be done right now.

Formula:

It’s high time + for somebody + to V

For example:

- It’s high time for her to make up for the party tonight. (Đã đến lúc cô ấy phải trang điểm cho bữa tiệc tối nay.)
- You are so lazy! It’s high time for you to do all of the things you listed yesterday. (Con lười quá rồi đấy! Đã đến lúc con phải làm tất cả những việc con đã liệt kê ngày hôm qua.)

Using the It's high time structure

III. Equivalent structures to replace the It’s high time structure

To replace the It’s high time structure when you need to repeat this phrase or want to vary your writing style more naturally, we can use 2 similar structures below:

1. It’s time structure

When the verb in the clause following It’s time is in the past tense, this structure will have a similar meaning to the It’s high time structure.

However, when the verb of the clause is in the form To V (infinitive verb with To), the It’s time structure suggests something for the listener to do.

Formula 1:

It’s time + S + V-ed

Example:

It’s time you Mytourared the meal. (Đã đến lúc bạn chuẩn bị bữa ăn.)
It’s time Jane cut her hair to match the outfit she wore in the summer. (Đã đến lúc Jane cắt tóc để phù hợp với trang phục cô ấy mặc vào mùa hè)

Formula 2:

It’s time + for somebody + to V

Example:

John, it’s time for you to go right now. The class will start in 10 minutes. (John, đã đến lúc bạn phải đi ngay bây giờ. Lớp học sẽ bắt đầu sau 10 phút nữa.)
It’s time for Linh to go to the dentist to check her toothache. (Đã đến lúc Linh phải đến nha sĩ để kiểm tra cơn đau răng của cô ấy.)

2. It’s about time structure

Similar to the meaning of It’s high time and It’s time structures, the it’s about time structure is used to emphasize that something should have been done or completed already. The It’s about time structure also particularly describes present or future meaning but with the verb in the past tense.

Formula:

It’s about time + S + V-ed

Example:

It’s about time you realized your mistake and apologized. (Đã đến lúc bạn nhận ra sai lầm của mình và xin lỗi.)
It’s about time you came back home. (Đã đến lúc bạn trở về nhà rồi.)

Equivalent structures replacing the It’s high time structure

IV. Exercise applying the It’s high time structure with detailed answers

So we've covered the basic knowledge of the It’s high time structure as well as how to use it correctly. To remember how the It’s high time structure is used and what types of sentences it has, let's practice with some It’s high time exercise questions below.

Exercise: Rewrite the sentence using the It’s high time structure

The boy is still at school at this hour, parents must pick her up already.