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Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers in English

This document discusses cardinal and ordinal numbers in English. It provides examples of how to write numbers in words from 1 to 100, how to write larger numbers with commas and hyphens, and how to convert cardinal numbers to their ordinal form by adding endings like "th" or "st". It also covers fractions, decimals, and Roman numerals.

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Dard Tong
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157 views5 pages

Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers in English

This document discusses cardinal and ordinal numbers in English. It provides examples of how to write numbers in words from 1 to 100, how to write larger numbers with commas and hyphens, and how to convert cardinal numbers to their ordinal form by adding endings like "th" or "st". It also covers fractions, decimals, and Roman numerals.

Uploaded by

Dard Tong
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cardinal and ordinal numbers in English https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/zahlen.

htm

Cardinal and ordinal numbers in


English

1. The numbers in English

1.1. Cardinal numbers


Cardinal numbers say how many people or things there are.

Examples:

There are five books on the desk.


Ron is ten years old.

1.1.1. Numbers bigger than 20

Use a hyphen between compound numbers.

Number Word

21 twenty-one

55 fi�y-five

99 ninety-nine

1.1.2. Numbers bigger than 100

Use a hyphen between compound numbers and the word and.

Use either the definite article a or one for 100.

Number Word

121 a/one hundred and twenty-one

356 three hundred and fi�y-six

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Cardinal and ordinal numbers in English https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/zahlen.htm

Number Word

999 nine hundred and ninety-nine

1.1.3.Numbers bigger than 1,000

Use a hyphen between compound numbers and the word and.

Use either the definite article a or one for 1,000.

Separate three digits with a comma (,) → 50,000.

Number Word

1,121 a/one thousand one hundred and twenty-one

2,356 two thousand three hundred and fi�y-six

9,999 nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine

1.1.4. The number 0

There are different words for the number 0.

Word Explanation Example

67890
oh single digits (telephone numbers, codes)
six - seven - eight - nine - oh

-5 °C
zero measurements (temperature)
five degrees Celsius below zero

5-5=0
nought figure 0 in British English*
Five minus five leaves nought.

The match ended 2 - 0.


nil results in sport
The match ended two - nil.

40 - 0
love tennis
forty - love

* In American English zero is used.

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Cardinal and ordinal numbers in English https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/zahlen.htm

1.1.5. Year

see: The date and the year in English

1.2. Ordinal numbers


Add th to the cardinal number to form the ordinal number: six → sixth

Add the last two letters of the written word to the figure. → 4th

Numbers in words: The ordinal numbers 1st → first, 2nd → second and 3rd → third are irregular. Be
careful with the spelling of the words for 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th and the words ending in -y.

Cardinal numbers Ordinal numbers

1 one 1st first

2 two 2nd second

3 three 3rd third

5 five 5th fifth

8 eight 8th eighth

9 nine 9th ninth

12 twelve 12th twelfth

20 twenty 20th twentieth

Ordinal numbers

21st twenty-first

22nd twenty-second

23rd twenty-third

24th twenty-fourth

25th twenty-fifth

26th twenty-sixth

27th twenty-seventh

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Cardinal and ordinal numbers in English https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/zahlen.htm

Ordinal numbers

28th twenty-eighth

29th twenty-ninth

30th thirtieth

31st thirty-first

1.3. Fractions and decimals

1.3.1. Fractions

Use the ordinal number for the denominator:

1/3 → one third

2 3/5 → two and three fi�hs

Exceptions:

1/2 → one half

1/4 → one quarter

1.3.2. Decimals

Use the cardinal number for decimals:

3.8 → three point eight

4.25 → four point two five

1.4. Roman numbers


Roman numbers are seldom used. They are used for the names of kings and queens. Use the ordi-
nal number:

Elisabeth II → Elisabeth the Second

Louis XIV → Louis the Fourteenth

2. The numbers in a table

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Cardinal and ordinal numbers in English https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/zahlen.htm

Cardinal numbers Ordinal numbers

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