Examples in English noun numeral. Numerals in English: ordinal and cardinal

Every day we use numbers: counting money, talking about age, remembering an address, waiting for a bus or writing down a phone number. It is not surprising that when learning English, the topic of numerals comes at the very beginning of learning. By correctly using English numerals in your speech, you will look like an educated and well-read person in the eyes of your interlocutor.

Let's look at the features of declension and the use of different types of numerals.

Ordinal and cardinal numbers

As in the Russian language, in English there are two types of numerals, ordinal (ordinal) and cardinal (cardinal).

What's the difference? In essence, their names speak for themselves.

Cardinal numbers indicate the number of objects, persons and answer the question How many? - How many?

One person - One person.

Nine players – Nine players.

Eleven questions – Eleven questions.

Below is a table of cardinal numbers with transcription, translation and educational features:

You can watch, listen and learn the correct pronunciation of numbers from 1 to 100 in English here:

Ordinals indicate the order of objects. Answer the question Which? - Which? They are usually preceded by the article the, because Ordinal numbers most often serve as definitions for a specific noun.

The first person - The first person.

The ninth plays - The ninth player.

The eleventh question - The eleventh question.

To form an ordinal number, use the suffix th. Of course, there are a few rules to follow:

• In compound ordinal numbers in English, the tail -th- is attached ONLY to the last word.
  147th – one hundred forty-seventh
• Tens that have a final vowel –y (ninety) change it to -ie-
  90 – ninety, 90th – ninetieth
• We should remember a few exceptions the first first, the second second, the third third, the fifth fifth, the ninth ninth, the twelfth twelfth

Features of the use of English numerals

• In English, when denoting numbers, pages, chapters, parts of books, classrooms, houses, trams etc. cardinal numerals are usually used. In this case, the cardinal number follows the noun it defines, and the noun is used without an article:
  chapter one - chapter one
  lesson three – lesson three
  page fifteen – page fifteen
  Open your books at page 23. - Open the books on page 23.
  Read paragraph 5. - Read the fifth paragraph.
  When using an ordinal number in similar cases, the ordinal number is placed before the noun, and the noun acquires the definite article: the first chapter - the first chapter
• H powerful hundred, thousand, million do not acquire the ending s as an indicator of the plural, however, if these words perform the function of nouns, that is, there is no numeral before them (and after them there is usually a preposition of), then s is added to the plural: hundreds of people hundreds of people, thousands of words thousands of words.
• In cardinal numbers, where there are hundreds and thousands, words denoting tens and units are added using the conjunction and:
  101 – one hundred and one.
  425 – four hundred and twenty-five.
  2036 – two thousand and thirty-six.
• Of the year are indicated by cardinal numbers. When reading year symbols, the chronological date is divided in half, with each half read as a separate number:
  1917 (nineteen seventeen)
  1848 (eighteen forty-eight)
  Exceptions are years at the turn of the century:
  1900 (nineteen hundred)
  1905 (nineteen o [əu] five)
  Since 2010, it has become increasingly common to read the year as two numbers: 2014 — twenty fourteen, 2020 — twenty twenty
  In this reading, the word year is not added:
  A. S. Pushkin was born in 1799 and died in 1837. - A. S. Pushkin was born in 1799 and died in 1837.
• To indicate dates The ordinal number is used: July 25 — The twenty-fifth of July or July the twenty-fifth
• When designating arithmetic operations a verb expressing the result of an action can be either singular or plural:
  Five plus four is nine. - Five plus four equals nine.
  Three times four are twelve. — Three times four equals twelve.
• Quantitative numerals over one used with a plural noun:
  There are three classes of reactors: slow, intermediate and fast. — There are three types of reactors: reactors with slow, intermediate and fast neutrons.
  In English two-digit and multi-digit numbers ending in one, are used with a plural noun:
  There are thirty-one days in January. — There are thirty-one days in January.
• Phone numbers, accounts, cards etc. are read not in hundreds or tens, as in Russian, but in individual numbers:
  555-757-23-11 – five, five, five, seven, five, seven, two, three, one, one.
  Double and triple digits are sometimes called double and triple:
  555-757-23-11 – triple five, seven, five, seven, two, three, double one.
• Zero in English it is called in different words: zero, o (read as a letter), nill, nought. In general, they are equivalent, but there are slight differences. Zero– the most reliable and neutral of these words, zero is a mathematical zero, a temperature zero (zero degrees). To avoid confusion, it is better to say “zero”. O– often used instead of “zero” in colloquial speech when you need to name a number (for example, in a phone number). Nill– literally “nothing”, usually used when talking about the score in a game: Argentina – five, Jamaica – nill. Nought– also “nothing”, practically not used in the USA, in British English it is already considered obsolete.

Fractions

In simple fractions, the numerator is denoted by a cardinal number, and the denominator by an ordinal number. The ordinal number, i.e. the denominator, takes the plural ending -s if the numerator is greater than one.

In contact with

Numerals in the English language help make speech intelligible and more accurate. Agree, it is difficult to give comprehensive information without indicating a specific date, time, date or quantity of something. Knowing how to correctly use English numerals in your speech, you will look like an educated and well-read person in the eyes of your interlocutor. Let's look at the features of declension and the use of different types of numerals, and also give vivid examples of their use.

English numerals are divided into cardinal and ordinal:

• One, two, three, four are cardinal numbers,
• first, second, third, fourth are ordinal numbers.

On a note! Unlike Russian numerals, a numeral in English is not subject to declension.

The absence of declension of numerals is an undeniable advantage not only for foreigners who are learning a language, but also for native speakers. Not everyone will correctly translate a sentence that contains, for example, ‘845 barrels’ or ‘397 bags’. In this case, there can be not only “barrels”, but also “barrels”, “barrels”, etc. In English there are no problems with this and this is a big plus.

The main function of cardinal numbers is to answer the question ‘how many?’. Such numerals denote the number/quantity of persons, objects, things, etc.

One man, one woman, one girl, one tree, one lake, one fence => one man, one woman, one girl, one tree, one lake, one fence.

From the examples it is clear that it does not matter what gender the noun is. He, she or it will all have the numeral one. We decline it only when translating into Russian.

Examples

This guy annoys me so much but he is the one person who understands me => This guy annoys me very much, but he is the only person who understands me.

Only one girl smiled to me while others continue to look at me with some anger => Only one girl smiled at me, while the others continued to look at me with some anger.

Seven dishes were cooked at this restaurant but I was offered only three => Seven dishes were prepared at this restaurant, but I was offered only three.

Five phones were sold in one day => Five phones were sold in one day.

Twenty three flowers were prepared for this bunch but the man refused to pay for it => Twenty three flowers were prepared for this bouquet, but the man refused to pay for them.

Twenty three rivers run through this country => Twenty three rivers cross this country.

Rules for writing numerals

Let's look at how the numbers from 1 to 20 are written. And let's not forget about zero:

0 – zero, nothing

As for the numerals in English from thirteen to nineteen, they are formed in the following way: you need to add the suffix –teen, which is translated into Russian as ‘’-eleven’’:

17 – seventeen

19 – nineteen.

As you can see, the numbers from 1 to 20 are written differently in English.

Examples

There were fifteen soldiers but no one officer => There were fifteen soldiers, but not a single officer.

Eighteen people decided to be volunteers => Eighteen people decided to be volunteers.

Seventeen flowers were taken to make a bouquet for a bride => Seventeen flowers were taken to make a bouquet for the bride.

I baked sixteen cakes for your friends to enjoy that time =>

Only eighteen singers came to support their old friend and to give free of charge concert => Only eighteen singers came to support their old friend and give a free concert.

If we are talking about numerals that are measured in tens, then to form them we use the suffix –ty:

90 – ninety, etc.

Fifty grams of cognac will make your bake more delicious => 50 grams of cognac will make your baked goods more delicious.

Seventy plus seventy is equal to one hundred and forty => Seventy plus seventy equals one hundred and forty.

Sixty minus forty is equal to twenty => Sixty minus forty equals twenty.

On a note! If the cardinal number consists of tens and units, then the words should be separated by a hyphen:

23 – twenty-three

35 – thirty-five

76 – seventy-six

95 – ninety-five

37 – thirty-seven.

I was told to buy twenty-five eggs and sixty-seven tomatoes. No more, no less. My sister is strict J => I was told to buy twenty-five eggs and sixty-seven tomatoes. No more no less. My sister is strict J

A great fest is coming soon so we are to buy a lot of food. Thirty-seven kilograms of potatoes, twenty-three kilograms of tomatoes and forty-five kilograms of fruit will be enough, I hope => A big holiday is approaching and we have to buy a lot of food. Thirty-seven kilograms of potatoes, twenty-three kilograms of tomatoes and forty-five kilograms of fruit will be enough, I hope.

Help: if a numeral consists of hundreds and thousands, then when adding words that denote tens and units, you need to use the conjunction and:

102 – one hundred and two

467 – four hundred and sixty-seven

5023 – five thousand and twenty-three

7982 – seven thousand nine hundred and eighty-two.

On a note! If we are talking about telephone numbers, credit and bank card numbers, then the entire number must be read individually:

Nine seven eight, three four five, five three eight, nine seven eight

Nine six seven, six six five, four three two, one two three.

Note! It happens that double and triple digits are designated as double and triple =>

777-567-43-11 => triple seven, five, six, seven, four, three, double one.

999-333-65-88 => triple nine, triple three, six, five, double eight.

Help: if the number is very large, then it is recommended to separate the digits with a comma, for easier understanding: 234.567; 786, 798, 465; 5,876.

For some, this may seem unusual, because in the Russian language spaces are used in such cases.

Ordinal numbers: asking a question and answering

‘Which?’ and ‘Which?’ are questions answered by ordinal numbers. Unlike cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers are often used with the article the, since they are a modifier of a specific noun.

The eleventh man - the eleventh man

The second singer - second singer

The third child - the third child.

The twelfth man was handsome but the second one was kind and polite => The twelfth man was handsome, but the second one was kind and polite.

The third girl has so beautiful eyes I can’t help myself from watching at her! => The third girl had such beautiful eyes that I couldn’t help but look at her!

The eleventh ball was red, the first – yellow, and the last in the raw was brown. I had to choose but I wanted all of them => The eleventh ball was red, the first was yellow, the last in the row was brown. I had to choose, but I wanted them all.

To form an ordinal number, you need to take the cardinal number as a basis and add the suffix –th:

Seven – seventh

But! If the suffix is ​​preceded by the letter –у, then it must be replaced with –ie-:

Eighty – eightieth

Thirty – thirties.

Important! Please note the following exceptions:

Eight – eighth

Twelve – twelfth.

As in Russian, the ordinal form in compound ordinal numbers will only be observed in the last component:

27th – twenty-seventh

232nd – two hundred and thirty-second.

On a note! The definite article is an indispensable companion of the ordinal number.

The first act of the drama was amazing! => The first act of the drama was wonderful!

The second machine is much more better that the first => The second mechanism is much better than the first.

But! There are times when the indefinite article is used. It should be remembered that in this situation the meaning of the word will be ‘’one more’’:

She has written an essay, and then a second one => She wrote an essay, and then Another.

We wrote a complaint last week, but yesterday a second one => We wrote a complaint last week, and yesterday one more.

On a note! Note the use of the words thousand, hundred, million => they are used singular.

Examples

Three hundred, five thousand, eleven million.

But! The plural is used when we are talking about thousands or millions of something:

Hundreds of shoes – hundreds of pairs of shoes

Millions of drops - millions of drops.

If I were a millionaire, I would buy hundreds or even millions of shoes at once => If I were a millionaire, I would buy hundreds or even millions of pairs of shoes at once.

The sky was clear and we could see millions of stars shining bright like cat’s eyes => The sky was clear and we could see millions of stars shining like a cat’s eyes.

Fractional numbers in English: spelling nuances

Fractional numbers in English also have their own spelling features. If we are talking about simple fractions, then we denote the numerator as a cardinal number, and the denominator as an ordinal number. It should be remembered that if the denominator is greater than one, then the ordinal number acquires the ending –s =>

1/3 => a (one) third

1/5 => a (one) fifth

¼ => a (one) fourth/quarter

1/100 => a (one) hundredth

1/1225 => a (one) thousand two hundred and twenty-fifth

2/3 => two thirds

7/17 => seven seventeenth

5/7 => five sevenths

2/5 ton => two fifths of a ton

½ kilometer => half a kilometer.

Examples

We drove half a kilometer but saw no people => We drove half a kilometer, but didn’t see any people.

Only 5/7 of a work was done => Only 5/7 of the work was done.

2/3 of an apple you have to give your young sister => 2/3 of an apple you must give to your younger sister.

How to read the years in English

It is important to remember that years are denoted by cardinal numbers, not ordinal numbers. In this case, the year is divided into two two-digit numbers, and itself is read as two-digit:

The incident took place in 1992 => It took place in nineteen ninety-two.

I was born in 1987 => I was born in nineteen eighty-seven.

2005 => twenty o-five/two thousand five

2017 => twenty seventeen/two thousand seventeen.

Numerals in English can act as a noun (they can be nouns).

Those three took my things => These three took my things.

Those two saw me without a make-up => These two saw me without makeup.

Money amounts in English

An interesting fact is that money in English (if the number is from 1000 to 10,000) should be read not in thousands, but hundred =>

$1000 => ten hundred dollars

$1300 => thirteen hundred dollars

$5723 => fifty seven hundred and twenty three

The word three is pronounced [θriː], but it can be mistakenly pronounced as tree. If you are not well versed in pronunciation, then transcription should become a mandatory lesson for you to study. The pronunciation must be correct. This is extremely important for proper reading. Therefore, we learn the rules and exceptions in such a way as to remember them forever.

$11,009 => eleven thousand and nine dollars.

Let's sum it up

Having decided to study English, numerals should occupy a significant place in the lesson schedule. Without them, it is difficult to make speech accurate and informative. Every day we come across numbers and quantities, so we need to know not only the rules of pronunciation, but also the writing of numerals. There are many exceptions in the development of the English language, and the history of the creation of the language is full of striking examples that need to be learned by heart and always remembered. High-quality speech is smart speech. An incorrectly said numeral can ruin all your efforts and create an impression about you that is not what you would like. Repeat the rules every day and remember that there will always be exceptions to them. Good luck and inspiration!

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Numeral- this is a part of speech that means a number, a certain number of objects, their order when counting.

Unlike the Russian language, numerals in English are not declined.

Cardinal numbers

Numerals that mean the number of objects (answer the question How many? - How many?) are called quantitative(The Cardinal numerals): one, twenty, two thousand - one, twenty, two thousand, etc.

The numbers from 1 to 12 are called simple.

Numerals from 13 to 19 are derivatives. They are formed using the suffix – teen. For example, seven+teen - seventeen, six+teen - sixteen. In such numerals as 13, 15, 18 some changes occur.

Derived numerals are also numerals that denote the tens 20,30, 40, 50, etc. They are formed using the suffix -ty.

Composite numerals are numerals that denote tens with ones, starting from 21 (twenty-one) to 99. According to the analogy with the Russian language, to form a compound numeral in English, you should first name ten and then one: twenty-three - twenty-three, forty one - forty one, ninety nine - ninety nine.

Ordinals

Numerals that mean the order of objects or the place of an object when counting (answer the question Which (counting)? - Which?) are called ordinal(The Ordinal numerals): first, second, third - first, second, third, etc.

What else do you need to know about English numerals?

1. Numerals hundred [handred] - one hundred, thousand [southend] - thousand, million [milen] - million are used with the indefinite article A, if they matter one - one: a hundred - a hundred, a thousand - a thousand, a million - a million. The remaining cardinal numbers are used without an article: three books - three books, two men - two men, one house - one house.
2. The numerals hundred [handred] - one hundred, thousand [southend] - thousand, million [milen] - million, billion [bilen] - billion in the plural do not have endings if they are preceded by another numeral. If these same numerals are used as a noun to mean hundreds, thousands, millions of people, stars, etc., they have the ending -s and after them the preposition is used -of:hundreds of people - hundreds of people, millions of stars - millions of stars, thousands of workers - thousands of workers.
3. Between the designation of hundreds and tens there is a conjunction and(and): two hundred and twenty - 220, seven hundred and forty seven - 747.
4. Four-digit numbers can be read in two ways: 1234 (cardinal number!) - a thousand two hundred and thirty four or twelve hundred and thirty four.
5. 0 is read as nought [note] or oh [оу], in the American version as zero [zero].

As in Russian, numerals in English are divided into quantitative(one, two) and ordinal(first second). Unlike Russian numerals, English ones are not declined.

Declension of numerals in the Russian language is a sore subject not only for, but also for us, native speakers. Not everyone can immediately read out loud something like “container with 843 samples” or “supplied with 427 kg of material” without errors. Fortunately, in English everything is much simpler.

Cardinal numbers in English

Cardinal numbers answer the question “how many?” and denote quantity, number of objects, persons, etc.

One person - One person.

Nine players – Nine players.

Eleven questions – Eleven questions.

Ordinal numbers in English

Ordinal numbers answer the questions “which?” which?” is usually placed in front of them the, because Ordinal numbers most often serve as definitions for a specific noun.

The first person - The first person.

The ninth plays - The ninth player.

The eleventh question - The eleventh question.

Table of English numerals with translation

There are simple patterns in the formation of numerals, so all numerals fit compactly in one table. Please note, not listed here zero– read about it below.

All numerals are given with a “translation” - it is given in the form of numbers and numbers.

The table lists all numerals from 1 to 29, then only the names of tens (thirty, forty) are indicated, because the numerals between them (32, 33... 39, etc.) are formed according to exactly the same pattern as 21-29 - after the name ten, the required unit is added through a hyphen: forty-one, forty-two, and so on.

Voiced cards with numbers for memorization

With these cards you can not only learn English numerals, but also listen to how they are pronounced.

Cardinal numbers: pronunciation and flashcards

Ordinal numbers: pronunciation and flashcards

Notes:

Features of the use of the words hundred, thousand, million

Words hundred, thousand, million used in singular:

Tho hundred.

Twenty thousand.

Four million.

They are used in the plural when talking about hundreds (thousands, millions) of something:

Hundreds ships of – Hundreds of ships.

Millions of stars – Millions of stars.

Numerals with “and”

In cardinal numbers, where there are hundreds and thousands, words denoting tens and units are added using the conjunction and:

101 – one hundred and one.

425 – four hundred and twenty-five.

2036 – two thousand and thirty-six.

How to read a phone number in English

Phone numbers, accounts, cards, etc. are read not in hundreds or tens, as in Russian, but in individual numbers:

555-757-23-11 – five, five, five, seven, five, seven, two, three, one, one.

Double and triple digits are sometimes called double and triple:

555-757-23-11 – triple five, seven, five, seven, two, three, double one.

How to read years in English

Years are designated not by ordinal numbers, but by cardinal numerals; when reading, they are divided into two two-digit numbers and read as two-digit numbers:

I was born in 1985 – I was born in nineteen eighty-five.

It happened in 1997 - It happened in nineteen ninety-seven.

Years after 2000 are read either in halves or with the word thousand:

2004 – twenty o-four \ two thousand four.

2015 – twenty fifteen \ two thousand fifteen.

Numeral as a noun

As in Russian, numerals in English can be used as:

Those two broke the rules – These two broke the rules.

Money amounts in English

If the number is greater from 1000 to 10,000, count in hundreds rather than thousands:

$1000 – ten hundred dollars.

$1200 – twelve nundred dollars.

$4357 – forty three hundred and forty seven.

$10,005 – ten thousand and five dollars.

8. Word three according to the rules it is read as [θriː], but very often you can hear it being pronounced as (like the word tree - tree).

Zero in English

Zero in English is called in different words: zero, o (read as a letter), nill, nought. In general, they are equivalent, but there are slight differences.

• Zero– the most reliable and neutral of these words, zero is a mathematical zero, a temperature zero (zero degrees). To avoid confusion, it is better to say “zero”.
• O– often used instead of “zero” in colloquial speech when you need to name a number (for example, in a phone number).
• Nill– literally “nothing”, usually used when talking about the score in a game: Argentina – five, Jamaica – nill.
• Nought– also “nothing”, practically not used in the USA, in British English it is already considered obsolete.
• There are also very highly specialized, slang zeros, for example “love”– zero when scoring in tennis. There is an interesting version (this is more of a story than a scientific hypothesis) that the French called a score of zero points “egg” (similar to zero), in French “l’œuf”. The British adopted, somewhat distorting, this term and it turned into “love”.

You might think that there is no point in learning numerals in English. Indeed, it’s easier to write the necessary numbers on a piece of paper and just show them to an English-speaking friend (and any other friend who studied numbers at school).
But what to do if a situation arises when there is no paper at hand or there is no way to write something on the sand/napkin/other surfaces. For example, when you speak to a business partner on the phone or call the automated call center at London Airport.
And in general, knowing numbers in English will not be superfluous. When you were learning the English alphabet, you didn’t think about its necessity, but took it for granted as a necessity. Moreover, this process is simple and interesting.

Numbers in English (cardinal numerators)

What is the easiest to learn? Rhymed verses. It’s as if the British specially came up with numbers that are easy to rhyme. Meaning quantitative numerals. That is, those with which you can count objects. We take numbers from 1 to 12 and memorize simple rhymes:

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.

We repeat this mantra 10 times and consider that the first stage has been completed.

The second step is to learn cardinal numbers from 13 to 19. If we were talking about a person’s age, then many would call people from 13 to 19 years old teenagers. And not by chance. It’s just that at the end of each of these numerals there is the same ending - teen. And here is the confirmation:

thir teen
four teen
fif teen
six teen
seven teen
eigh teen
nine teen

twen ty
thir ty
for ty
fif ty
six ty
seven ty
eigh ty
nine ty

twenty-one

Fine, fine. Noticed. Yes, a hyphen is placed between the ten and the one. But everything else is the same. Look:

Thirty-four, fifty-seven, eighty-two.

Let's not waste time on trifles. And let's move on to more impressive numbers.

Hundred - 100
Thousand - 1000
Million - 1000000

If this is not enough for us, then we can make 200 (two hundred) or 3000 (three thousand), or even 5,000,000 (five million) at once.

It's surprising that the British didn't complicate things here. Note that a hundred, a thousand, a million are not written in the plural. Everything is in one thing.

Still, let's try something more complicated. Let's look at composite numbers. For example, 387. We place bets, gentlemen, who will pronounce this number? And now the correct answer:

Three hundred AND eighty-seven.

The only difference from Russian is the appearance of the conjunction “and” between hundreds and tens.

What about 5234? We place bets again. Correct answer:

Five thousand two hundred and thirty-four.

Ordinal numerators

The cardinal numbers worked well as a warm-up. It's time to move on to ordinal number in English. That is, to those numerals that indicate the order of objects: first, second, third... twenty-fourth, the calculation is over!

And here one little surprise awaits us. All ordinal numbers are obtained in the same way: the article is simply added to them the front and - th at the end of a word. And that's all.

the fourth
the fifth
the sixth
the seventh
the eighth
the ninth
the tenth
the forty-seventh

But English wouldn't be so interesting if it weren't for exceptions to the rules. And, of course, these exceptions are the most frequently used numerals.

the first
the second
the third

Who hasn't guessed yet, this is the one first second And third.

. For dessert. A little more theory for the most curious. This is no longer as necessary as knowing cardinal and ordinal numbers, but it will help you show yourself as very educated among English-speaking interlocutors.

Phone number. How do you say 155-28-43 in Russian? Yeah: one hundred fifty-five, twenty-eight, forty-three. And in English you will name each number in turn. And a small nuance: when 2 identical numbers appear in a row, you need to say double and name the number. In this example: one double five two eight four three .

Year. For example, 1843. In Russian: one thousand eight hundred and forty-three. That is, as a number, and even ordinal. But the British are no strangers. They pronounce the years in dozens at once: eighteen forty - three. That is, also numbers, but quantitative, without any -th.

Numbers.There was tram number ten. Go to the seventh office. Open the book to the third page. Read chapter five. In Russian, we denote all numbers by ordinal numbers. And in English quantitative ones are used: room seven , page three , chapter five .