The afternoon is the period of the day that begins at noon and lasts until dusk.
The afternoon is the period of the day that begins at noon and extends until the beginning of the night . It can be said that the afternoon, therefore, ends at dusk .
For example: “This afternoon I am going to visit Aunt Laura” , “The next session of the Chamber of Deputies will take place next Friday afternoon” , “In the afternoon the power went out, but luckily they restored the service before of dusk.”
Afternoon as advanced schedule
The idea of afternoon is also used to refer to what is carried out at an advanced time , both at night and during the day: “Today we are going to have a late lunch: it is already eleven in the morning and I still have a lot of work ahead of me.” ” , “ I don't think the party will end very late since we all have to get up early tomorrow ” , “ My grandfather usually eats late dinner ” .
As can be seen in the examples, this meaning of the term is relative, since it must be measured based on the concept of early .
Whoever arrives late does so late.
Beyond the agreed time
Late, on the other hand, is an adverb of time that serves to describe actions or situations that take place when the usual or convenient time has passed , or that take place beyond the previously established time : “The boss got angry because I was late.” to the office” , “Is it too late to take the train to London?” , “Try not to be late so we can sit in the first rows.”
Once again, the concept can be opposed to the notion of early , taking as a parameter the time that is considered exact, precise or punctual. Suppose that a theater performance is announced for 8 p.m. If the show starts at 7:30 p.m. , it can be said that it started early. On the other hand, if the performance starts at 9 p.m. , it will have started late.
Tendency to arrive late
There are people who have a special tendency to arrive late for appointments, whether for informal meetings with friends or for job interviews or medical consultations. This is usually seen as a lack of responsibility, although psychology has shown that in some cases it is a well-defined disorder: tardiness .
A delay of ten minutes or arriving late once in a while is considered normal, but the first person to be diagnosed with tardiness, Scotsman Jim Dubar , far exceeded this margin: he left a friend with whom he had been waiting for more than four hours . planned to take a trip; Another, with whom he had decided to have lunch, had to wait three hours. If we add to this that Jim has lost dozens of jobs because of his tardiness , and that this has always distressed him, it becomes clear that this is not a mistake or a lack of poor organization.
The explanation of the doctor who diagnosed this illness of being late can be summarized as follows: the brain is not able to accurately perceive the passage of time from the point at which it begins to perform an activity. This, as mentioned above, affects all levels of daily life, from the professional to the sentimental, and does not always cause harm to third parties: Jim has also arrived late to the cinema, practically to enjoy the credits and return to his home frustrated.
As if the anger of friends and family, layoffs, and theater performances about to end were not enough, people who are involuntarily late must endure the lack of support and complaints from those around them. Even though this disorder has already been diagnosed, many people continue to believe that it is a lack of responsibility, and for that reason they do not collaborate with their tardy acquaintances.