Numerals

Numerals are usually used like determiners with a following noun but they can also occur as heads of noun phrases (Four of them were arrested.). In linguistics, numbers can be classified according to their use.

Cardinal numerals

They describe quantity (one, two, three, four...thirteen...twenty...one hundred).

Reading of cardinal numbers

0 is pronounced as nought, in American English zero. Oh reading is used especially when giving telephone numbers. When talking scientifically and when giving temperatures, 0 is pronounced zero (twenty degrees below zero). When giving the scores of most games, 0 is pronounced nil or nothing. (Manchester six, Leeds nil/nothing). When giving the scores of a few other games like tennis, we use love for 0 (Hewitt leads by two sets to love 2 – 0).

The -teen numerals have stress on the last syllable if they are not followed by a noun (thir'teen) but when they are used with noun, the stress is on the first syllable ('thirteen books).

When writing or reading a number composed of three or more figures we place "and" before the word denoting tens or units (713 seven hundred and thirteen, 5,102 five thousand, one hundred and two, 320,410 three hundred and twenty thousand, four hundred and ten

 An article "A" is more usual than "one" before hundred, thousand, million. (100 a hundred, 1,000 a thousand, 100,000 a hundred thousand)

The words hundred, thousand, million and dozen when used of a definite number are never made plural (six hundred men , ten thousand pounds, two dozen eggs).

If however, if used to convey the idea of a large number, they must be made plural (hundreds of people, thousands of birds, dozens of times )

Spelling

Numerals 11-19 are written with the suffix -teen, however, they are some irregular words: eleven, twelve.

Numerals 20-99 are written with the suffix -ty (forty, fifty, eighty).

Compound numerals are hyphenated (twenty-one, thirty-six).

Uncertain numbers

The word odd may be used with round numbers over twenty to give an approximate figure "about." (It’s a hundred odd pounds. She’s sixty odd.)

-ish, ... or so and or thereabouts can also be used when giving approximate numbers. (He’s sixtyish. It cost a hundred pounds or so. He’s arriving on the seventh or thereabouts.)

Decimals

Numbers composed of four or more figures are divided into groups of three. Decimals are indicated by a dot which is read point. We say each number after the decimal point separately.

10.92 ten point nine two, 45.987 forty five point nine eight seven

0 after a decimal point is usually read nought but zero would also be possible.

0.46 nought point four six

Ordinal numerals

They describe position in a sequential order. Ordinal numerals for 1 to 3 are unsystematic: first, second, third. The rest are formed by adding –th to the cardinal numerals (but note the changes:  fifth, eighth, ninth and twelfth). Cardinal numerals for 20-90 ending in –y change to –ieth. Ordinals are also hyphenated (twenty-second).

When ordinal numerals are expressed in figures the last two letters of the written word must be added (except in dates):

first – 1st                               twenty-first – 21st

second – 2nd                        forty-second – 42nd

third – 3rd                             sixty-third – 63rd

fourth – 4th                           eightieth – 80th

In compound ordinal numerals the rule about "and" is the same as for cardinal numerals (101st = one hundred and first)

The definite article THE precedes ordinal numerals (the sixtieth day, the fortieth visitor, the second edition). The indefinite article may be used as well (a second voyage = an additional voyage, one more).

Titles of kings are written in Roman numerals (Charles V, Elizabeth II). In spoken English we use the ordinal numbers preceded by "the": Charles the Fifth, Elizabeth the Second. 

Dates

When speaking, we use the term hundred but not thousand. (1987 nineteen hundred and eighty-seven or nineteen eighty-seven. 1066 ten sixty-six.) Years ending in 00 are said with ‘hundred’(1900 nineteen hundred) but note 2,000 = the year two thousand.

Years before the Christian era are followed by the letters B.C. (= Before Christ) and years dating from the Christian era are occasionally preceded by the letters A.D. (= Anno Domini, in the year of the Lord in Latin). A.D. is not usually necessary unlike B.C. (He died in 48 B.C.)

We can write the date in different ways:

Day/month/year = 6th January, 1991 (or ‘91) – British way

Month/day/year = January 6th, 1998 (or ‘98) – American way

When we say the date we add "the" and "of" (January the sixth/the sixth of January)

The date can also be written entirely in figures which can be quite confusing since British and American way writes the month and day reversely.

Fractions

When writing reading fractions other than 1/2 (a half) and 1/4 (a quarter), we use a combination of cardinal and ordinal numbers.

1/8 (one eighth), 3/7 (three sevens), 2/5 (two fifths), 11/16 (eleven sixteenths), 4/2 four over two

1/5 a/one fifth, 1/10 a/one tenth , 10/10 ten out of ten

A whole number + a fraction can be followed directly by a plural noun:

2 1/4 miles = two and a quarter miles

3 3/4 miles = three and three quarters miles

Multiplicative numerals

How many times?

      once - jednou, twice-  dvakrát, three times - třikrát (archaic form thrice), four times - čtyřikrát, a hundred times, several times, many times

How complex?

      single - jednoduchý, double, twofold - dvojitý, treble, threefold - trojitý

For which time?

      for the first time - poprvé, for the second time - podruhé

      first/ly: zaprvé, second/ly: zadruhé, third/ly: zatřetí

Arithmetical operations

Addition

How many are two and two?

2 + 2 = 4          two and two makes four

                         two plus two is/equals four      

Subtraction

What does three from nine leave? What is the difference between 9 and 3?

9 - 3 = 6           9 minus 3 equals 6

                         9 take away 3 equals 6

                         3 from 9 equals/is/makes 6.

Multiplication

How many are nine times three?

9 x 3 = 27             9 multiplied by 3 equals 27

                              9 times 3 is/makes 27

Division

How many times does seven go into fifty-six? How many times is seven contained in fifty-six?

9 : 3 = 3             9 divided by/over 3 equals3

                            3 into nine is/goes 3.

The percentage sign % is usually said per cent.

3 % = three per cent       3 1/2 % = three and a half per cent         3.5 % = three point five per cent

Geometry

a circle/circular - kruh

a sphere - koule

a square/square - čtverec

a triangle/triangular - trojúhelník

a rectangle/rectangular - obdélník

a pentagon/pentagonal - pětiúhelník

a hexagon/hexagonal - šestiúhelník

an oval/oval - ovál

a cube/cubic - krychle

a pyramid - jehlan

rhomboid - kosodéník

rhombus - kosočtverec

Measures

Weights

1 ounce (oz.) = 28.35 grams (gm)

1 pound (lb.) = 0.454 kilogram (kg)

1 stone (st.) = 6.356 kilogram/kilos

Ounce, pound, kilo can take -s in the plural when they are used as nouns, stone doesn’t take -s. (six pound of sugar or six pounds of sugar BUT ten stone of coal = has no alternative)

Length

1 inch (in.) = 2.54 centimetres (cm)

1 foot (ft.) = 30.5 centimetres

1 yard (yd.) = 0.914 metres (m)

1 mile (statue) = 1.609 kilometres (km)

When there is more than one inch/mile/centimetre we normally use the plural form of these words (ten inches, four miles, five centimetres)  but when used in compound adjectives, they never take the plural form (a two-mile walk, a six-inch ruler).

Liquid Measure

1 pint (pt.) = 0.568 litre (l)

1 gallon (gal.) = 4.55 litres