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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

A timer (count up)

Does a timer only count down to zero or count up?

Is it correct to say 'The timer counts up to 45 minutes at which point it rings.
Thanks
  

Top answer

Timers usually count down. They are set at a particular number of minutes and lose minutes as time goes by. So they count down.

— Doctor D

  • Timers usually count down.
  • They are set at a particular number of minutes and lose minutes as time goes by.
  • So they count down.
  • For example, the timer on an oven or on a microwave counts down to zero.
  • On the other hand, something like a stop watch (used in sports) counts up--it counts how many seconds have passed since the start of the event.
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3 Answers
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Timers usually count down. They are set at a particular number of minutes and lose minutes as time goes by. So they count down. For example, the timer on an oven or on a microwave counts down to zero.

On the other hand, something like a stop watch (used in sports) counts up--it counts how many seconds have passed since the start of the event. These may also be called timers, but they
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On the EnglishForward, for instance, there is a time on the top right hnad of each post that says when it was posted. Is that a timer?
Is this correct to you?

The timer on the site counts up from the second you post the thread.

Thank you so much
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I think I would say:
The timer on the site begins counting from the second you post the thread. (Counting up is assumed; that is, we understand that the number is getting larger.)

That would be the normal way to express it.
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