Clock description: Hour hand between 8 and 9. Minute hand three minute-marks past the 5.

One morning when you leave your house, you witness an automobile accident in your street. You look at your watch when it happens. Later that day you are invited to the police station to give a formal witness statement about the accident. The police officer is trying to establish a detailed timeline of the event. He asks you: "What time did the accident happen?" You remember that it happened at the time shown on the clock as given above.

How would you answer in this situation? (Fill the blank)

"It happened ___."

Actual time shown: 8:28
Answer: "It happened twenty-eight minutes past eight."

Why did you choose to answer this way?
I answered this way because it is a situation where you need to be precise about the time. In a normal situation if I was asked the time I would say half past eight or almost half eight but in this situation you need to be exact.