Numbers For Intermediate learners

Did you know that we have different kinds of numbers in English? How do they function? Don't you wanna learn more? What are you waiting for then? Come on.

"Numbers" in the English Grammar

What are Numbers?

Numbers are symbols or words that represent quantities or values of things. Numbers are used for counting, measuring, and comparing things. We have two kinds of numbers in English: Cardinal Numbers and Ordinal Numbers.

Cardinal Numbers

Generally, when we want to count people, items, etc. we use cardinal numbers. Check out the following examples:

Example

I have one puppy called Aco.

Sarah can afford to buy one pair of shoes, two jackets and one scarf.

Tip!

Usually, these cardinal numbers come before nouns.

Numbers Bigger Than Twenty

All numbers between twenty and one hundred are hyphenated. Take a look at the following examples:

Example

There are thirty-six tables in this hall.

He wants to add sixty-five more guests.

Numbers Bigger Than One Hundred

When we want to state numbers above one hundred, we must use a hyphen between the words that come after 'and'. Look at the examples below:

Example

There are one hundred and forty-nine people gathered in this corner.

My room number is one hundred and seventy-three.

Tip!

We can read 100 with both 'a' and 'one. Take a look:

Example

A hundred = One Hundred

Ordinal Numbers

Just as their name suggests, ordinal numbers refer to the order of items, people, etc. in a list. Check out the following examples:

Example

The first class will begin on Monday.

He's your second uncle.

Take a look at the following table to see how they are formed:

First

Nineth

Second

Tenth

Third

Twentieth

Fourth

Thirtieth

Fifth

Forty-first

Sixth

Fifty-second

Seventh

Sixty-third

Eighth

Seventy-fourth

Warning!

Please note that from 'fourth' onward, all numbers get a 'th' at the end.

Uses

We use these Ordinal numbers in different contexts. Some of them are below:

To Talk About Centuries

To Show Dates

To Indicate Roman numbers

Now, take a look at some examples below:

Example

Edward the seventh was a former British King.

My birthday is on August the eighth.

In the nineteenth century, Gothic literature was the dominant literary genre for novel.

Comments

(0)
Loading Recaptcha...
Share on :
books
Learn English VocabularyStart learning categorized English vocabulary on Langeek.
Click to start

Recommended

Demonstratives

bookmark
Demonstratives express distance in space and time. In this lesson, we will discover the rules, types, uses, and more in detail.

Possessives

bookmark
Possessives are used to indicate possessions. In this lesson, we will discuss the different types of possessives, including nouns, determiners, and pronouns.

Cardinal Numbers

bookmark
When we want to refer to quantity, we use numbers. These numbers are called 'cardinal numbers.'

Ordinal Numbers

bookmark
Ordinal numbers specify the position or rank of something in a sequence. Unlike cardinal numbers (which denote quantity), ordinals indicate order.

Roman Numerals

bookmark
The ancient numbers that are still being used, we all have definitely seen them, let's learn them properly now.

When to Spell Out Numbers

bookmark
There are many types of ways to say a number but do you know when and where to use each of them? In this lesson, we will discover more about numbers.
LanGeek
Download LanGeek app