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Classroom
Today
Learn about
leap year |
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Today in the Fun Easy English classroom you are going to learn about leap
year. |
 Hey
if you cannot understand something on this page,
then use the Fun Easy English
dictionary
(opens in a new window) |
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A leap year is a year in which an
extra day is added to the Gregorian calendar, which is used by most
of the world. While an ordinary year has 365 days, a leap year has
366 days. The extra day, February 29, is added to the month of
February. In an ordinary year, February has 28 days, but in a leap
year, it has 29 days. The extra day, called a leap day, is the same
day of the week as the first day of the month, February 1. Also, in
a leap year, the months of January, April, and July all start on the
same day of the week. |
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A leap year comes once every four
years. Because of this, a leap year can always be evenly divided by
four. For example, 2020 is a leap year. But a year is a common year
if it can be evenly divided by 100 but not by 400. This is why 1600,
2000, and 2400 are leap years, but 1700, 1800, and 1900 are common
years. |
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We have leap years because instead of 365 days, the
Earth really takes a few minutes less than 365-1/4 days (365.24219)
to go completely around the Sun. Without leap years, the seasons
would start one day earlier on the calendar every four years. After
360 years, spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the
Southern Hemisphere (which usually begins on March 21) would begin
on December 21 (which is when winter in the Northern Hemisphere and
summer in the Southern Hemisphere presently begins).
A number of countries use a lunar calendar (based on the Moon,
instead of the Sun, like our solar calendar is). They have leap
years when they add an extra lunar month. Different calendars add
the extra month in different ways. So a (year) which has 366 day's
instead of 365 days where the month of February has 29 days is
called a leap year. |
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Additional Information |
Study Tips
(Beginner - Listening)
Avoid Ineffective Study Methods. An audio lesson to help
you study English more effectively. The English is
spoken at 75% of normal speed. Great English study tips.
Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this
audio program. |
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