CARDINAL NUMBERS AND ORDINAL NUMBERS

CARDINAL NUMBER ORDINAL NUMBER

0 zero, oh, nil, nothing
1 one 1st (first)
2 two 2nd (second)
3 three 3rd (third)
4 four 4th (fourth)
5 five 5th (fifth)
6 six 6th (sixth)
7 seven 7th (seventh)
8 eight 8th (eighth)
9 nine 9th (ninth)
10 ten 10th (tenth)
11 eleven 11th (eleventh)
12 twelve 12th (twelfth)
13 thirteen 13th (thirteenth)
14 fourteen 14th (fourteenth)
15 fifteen 15th (fifteenth)
16 sixteen 16th (sixteenth)
17 seventeen 17th (seventeenth)
18 eighteen 18th (eighteenth)
19 nineteen 19th (nineteenth)
20 twenty 20th (twentieth)
21 twenty-one 21st (twenty-first)
22 twenty-two 22nd (twenty-second)
23 twenty-three 23rd (twenty-third)
24 twenty-four 24th (twenty-fourth)
25 twenty-five 25th (twenty-fifth)
26 twenty-six 26th (twenty-sixth)
27 twenty-seven 27th (twenty-seventh)
28 twenty-eight 28th (twenty-eighth)
29 twenty-nine 29th (twenty-ninth)
30 thirty 30th (thirtieth)
40 forty 40th (fortieth)
50 fifty 50th (fiftieth)
60 sixty 60 (sixtieth)
70 seventy 70th (seventieth)
80 eighty 80 (eightieth)
90 ninety (90th ninetieth)
100 one hundred 100th (one/the hundredth)
101 one hundred and one 101st (one /the hundred and first)
200 two hundred 200th (the two hundredth)
1,000 one thousand 1,000th (one/the thousandth)
1.001 one thousand and one 1,001st (one/the thousand and first)
10,001 ten thousand 10,001st (ten thousand and first)
100,000 one hundred thousand 100,000th (one/the one hundred thousandth)
1,000,000 one million 1,000,000th (the millionth)
Random numbers:
45 forty-five
52 fifty-two
78 seventy-eight
97 ninety-seven
849 eight hundred and forty-nine / eight hundred forty-nine
935 nine hundred and thirty-five / nine hundred thirty-five
 448 four hundred and forty-eight / four hundred forty-eight

Dates

Centuries, years
45 BC (Before Christ)
AD 100= AD one hundred (i.e. Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord in Latin).
AD is not usually necessary except with the early centuries to avoid possible confusion.
BC is usually necessary

Examples:
Pompey died in 48 BC.
Tiberius died in AD 37.
The 11th the 20th century will always be taken to mean AD.

The name of the century is 'one ahead' of the way the years in it are written/ said e.g.
1500-1599 is the sixteenth century. We can refer to the fifteen twenties, etc. and in this
century to the fifties, the sixties.
We refer to 1900-1910 as the nineteen hundreds.

Years are said in two parts:

1066 ten sixty-six,
1917 nineteen seventeen

The early years of a century, e.g. from (19)01 to (19)12 have two forms: nineteen
hundred and one, or nineteen-(oh)-one.

Years ending in '00 are said with hundred' 1900 nineteen hundred, but note 2,000 the year
two thousand.

The date

We can write the date in different ways; e.g.:

Day/month/year: 6th January, 1990 (or '90)
Month/day/year: January 6th 1998 (or 98)

The letters that follow the numbers {-st, -nd, -rd -th) may be omitted, as can the comma
before the year.

Abbreviations can be used for months [App 24].

The date can also be written entirely in figures 6 1 90, or 06 01 90.

In BrE this means January 6, 1990.
In AmE it means June 1 1990 since the number of the month is written before the day.
When we say the date we add the January the sixth, or the sixth of January (BrE), but
January sixth (AmE)
The time

Telling the time in everyday speech

If a clock shows (say) 10 00, the fullest answer to the question Whats the time? is It's
ten o'clock.
But we can also say Ten (very informal) or It's ten.

The word oclock is used only with exact hours, never with other times:
It's five past ten, etc.

Where the hour is known, we can just say (It's) five past (It's) five to, etc.

For past the hour we say e.g. (It's) five past (ten), (a) quarter (Not "fifteen") past
(ten), ten/twenty past (ten), twenty-five past (ten).

For before the hour we say e.g. (It's) twenty- five to (eleven), twenty to (eleven), (a)
quarter to (eleven), ten/five to (eleven).

With all other combinations before the hour and past the hour, we say minutes, e.g. three
minutes to ten, twenty-two minutes to eleven.

In AmE after is commonly used in place of past and of instead of to a quarter of

eleven.

Informally we sometimes say, e.g. half ten instead of half past ten and ten fifteen,
ten thirty instead of using a quarter and half.

Sometimes we say a.m. (= ante meridiem, i.e. before midday) or p.m. ( post
meridiem i.e. after midday) for times before and after 12 noon.
Ill meet you at 5 p.m.

We also sometimes say at noon or at midnight for 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.

Exercises
1. Spell the following numbers:

30th.
89th..
1721
8654
185
2009...
217
11th
3rd

2. Spell the following years:

1905.
1789.
1001
2009..
1975..
2000.
1877..

3. What time is it?

Its. Its

Its.
Its..

Its.
Its

4. Cardinal or ordinal number? Write the numbers in the appropriate column:

twenty-nine, ten, thirty, fourteen, twenty-ninth, seven, twelve, thirty-first, twenty-eighth,

thirty-one, thirteenth, thirty, ninety-third, fourteen, eleventh, sixty-second, twentieth,
twenty-third, eighty-seventh, eight hundred sixty-two, twelfth, forty-first
Number (singular and plural)

Singular and plural forms of nouns

Regular spelling

I. In order to form the plural, we usually add an s to the singular form:

-s after most nouns: cat/cats; tub/tubs

II. We add -es after nouns ending in:

-s: class classes
-x: box boxes
-ch: watch watches
-sh: bush bushes

II. consonant + -y becomes -ies: country countries

Note that vowel + -y adds -s: day/days

Proper nouns ending in -y add -s in the plural:

Fry/ the Frys
Kennedy/ the Kennedys

III. Nouns ending in -f or -fe:

- change f or fe in v or ve : knife/knives; calf/calves; leaf/leaves; loaf/loaves;
self/selves; thief/thieves; wolf/wolves; life/lives; wife/wives
- do not suffer any modification: roof/roofs; chief/chiefs; cliff/cliffs; grief/griefs;
gulf/gulfs; muff/muffs; proof/proofs; reef/reefs; strife/strifes; turf/turfs
- agree both situations: dwarf/dwarfs/dwarves; scarf/scarfs/scarves,
hoof/hoofs/hooves, staff/staffs/staves, wharf/warfs/warves.

IV. Nouns ending in-o:

a. They receive s for the plural when:
- there is a vowel before o : folio/folios; radio/radios; studio/studios;
kangaroo/kangaroos
- in abbreviations: kilo/kilos; photo/photos
- in the case of nouns of foreign origin: alto/altos; canto/cantos; piano/pianos

b. they receive es for the plural when o is preceded by a consonant:

cargo/cargoes; hero/heroes; potato/potatoes; veto/vetoes; volcano/volcanoes

c. there are nouns of foreign origin which form the plural in both ways:
flamingo/flamingoes/flamingoes; getto/gettoes/gettos;
manifesto/manifestoes/manifestos; memento/mementoes/mementos;
solo/soloes/solos; zero/zeroes/zeros; soprano/sopranoes/sopranos.
Irregular spelling

- there are nouns which have special forms for the plural: man/men; woman/women;
foot/feet; goose/geese; tooth/teeth; louse/lice; mouse/mice; child/children; ox/oxen

- there are nouns (designating animals) which have the same form for singular and plural:
deer, moose, reindeer, sheep, swine, fish;

The word fish, when it refers to certain types of fish, such as: carp, cod, plaice, pike,
squid, trout, have the same form for singular and plural.
Fish is the normal plural of fish (singular), but fishes can also be used, especially to refer
to species of fish.
My fish has died (one)
My fish have died (more than one)
You II see many kinds of fish(es) in the Black Sea.

- nouns such as herring, sardine, crab, lobster, dolphin, shark, whale, may also be used
with s.

- certain nouns describing nationalities e.g.: Chinese, Swiss, Vietnamese, have the same
form for singular and plural:
He is a Vietnamese
The Vietnamese are noted for their cookery
Collective noun + singular or plural verb

Collective nouns which have plural forms

Some collective nouns such as audience, class, club, committee, company, congregation,
council, crew, crowd, family, gang, government, group, jury, mob, staff, team and union
can be used with singular or plural verbs.

They are singular and can combine with the relative pronouns which/that and be replaced
by it when we think of them in an impersonal fashion, i.e. as a whole group:
The present government, which hasn't been in power long is trying to control inflation.
It isn't having much success.

They are plural and can combine with who and be replaced by they or them when we
think of them in a more personal way, i.e. as the individuals that make up the group.
The government, who are looking for a quick victory are calling for a general election
soon.
They expect to be re-elected.
A lot of people are giving them their support.

These collective nouns can also have regular plural forms.

Governments in all countries are trying to control inflation.
For plural nouns in a collective sense (e.g. the workers).

Some proper nouns (e.g. football teams) can be used as collectives.

Arsenal is/are playing away on Saturday.

Collective nouns which do not have plural forms

The following collective nouns have no regular plural but can be followed by a singular
or plural verb: the aristocracy, the gentry the proletariat, the majority, the minority, the
public, the youth of today
Give the public what it wants/they want.

Offspring has no plural form but can be followed by a singular verb to refer to one or a
plural verb to refer to more than one:
Her offspring is like her in every respect (one child)
Her offspring are like her in every respect (more than one child)

The youth of today (= all young people) should not be confused with a/the youth (= a/the
young man), which has a regular plural youths.
The youth of today is/are better off than we used to be.
The witness said he saw a youth/five youths outside the shop.
Youth (= a time of life) is used with singular verbs: Youth is the time for action; age is the
time for repose

Collective noun + plural verb

The following collective nouns must be followed by a plural verb; they do not have plural
forms: cattle, the clergy the military, people the police, swine vermin
Some people are never satisfied
The police/the military have surrounded the building.
People should not be confused with a/the people, meaning 'nation' or 'tribe', which is
countable:
The British are a sea-faring people
The English-speaking peoples share a common language

Nouns with a plural form + singular verb

The following nouns, though plural in form, are always followed by a verb in the
singular:

- the noun news, as in: The news on TV is always depressing

- games, such as billiards, bowls, darts dominoes

Billiards is becoming more and more popular

- names of cities such as Athens Brussels Naples

Athens has grown rapidly in the past decade

Nouns with a plural form + singular or plural verb

The following nouns ending in -ics take a singular verb: athletics gymnastics, linguistics
mathematics and physics:
Mathematics is a compulsory subject at school.

However, some words ending in -ics, such as acoustics, economics ethics, phonetics and
statistics take a singular or plural verb.

When the reference is to an academic subject (e.g. acoustics = the scientific study of
sound) then the verb must be singular:
Acoustics is a branch of physics

When the reference is specific, (e.g. acoustics = sound quality) then the verb must be
plural:
The acoustics in the Festival Hall are extremely good.

Plural-form nouns describing illnesses have a singular verb:

German measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

However, a plural verb is sometimes possible:

Mumps are (or is) fairly rare in adults

Some plural-form nouns can be regarded as a single unit (+ verb in the singular) or
collective (+ verb in the plural).
Examples are: barracks, bellows, crossroads, gallows gasworks headquarters kennels,
series, species and works (= factory).

- single unit: This species of rose is very rare

- more than one: There are thousands of species of butterflies

The word means (= a way to an end) is followed by a singular or plural verb, depending
on the word used before it:
All means have been used to get him to change his mind
One means is still to be tried

Nouns with a plural form + plural verb

Nouns with a plural form only (+ plural verb) are:

- nouns which can combine with a pair of :

My trousers are torn.

Used with a pair of, these words must have a singular verb:
A pair of glasses costs quite a lot these days

We cannot normally use numbers in front of these words, but we

can say two, etc. pairs of:
Two pairs of your trousers are still at the cleaners.

Some of these nouns can have a singular form when used in compounds: e.g. pyjama top,
trouser leg
Where did I put my pyjama top?

- a few words which occur only in the plural and are followed by a plural verb. Some of
these are: antipodes belongings, brains (= intellect), clothes, congratulations, earnings,
goods, greens (= green vegetables), lodgings, looks (= good looks), means (= money or
material possessions), oats odds (in betting), outskirts particulars quarters (=
accommodation), remains, riches, stairs suds surroundings thanks, tropics
All my belongings are in this bag

Nouns with different singular and plural meanings

Some nouns have different meanings in the singular and plural.

Typical examples: air/airs, ash/ashes content/contents custom/customs,
damage/damages drawer/drawers fund/funds glass/glasses look/looks, manner/manners,
minute/minutes, pain/pains scale/scales saving/savings spectacle/spectacles step/steps,
work/works

Sometimes the meanings are far apart (air/airs), sometimes they are quite close
(fund/funds).
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind You can only reach that cupboard
with a pair of steps

Of course, the countable nouns in the above list have their own plurals: dirty looks
five minutes sharp pains, two steps, etc.
Nouns with foreign plurals

There is a natural tendency to make all nouns conform to the regular rules for the
pronunciation and spelling of English plurals. The more commonly a noun is used, the
more likely this is to happen. Some native English speakers avoid foreign plurals in
everyday speech and use them only in scientific and technical contexts.

Nouns of foreign origin with anglicized plurals, e.g.

Album/albums, apparatus/apparatuses, genius/geniuses

Nouns with both foreign and anglicized plurals, e.g.

-us: cactus/cacti/cactuses, -a: antenna/antennae/antennas
-ex/ix: index/indices/indexes appendix/appendices/appendixes
-um: medium/media/mediums, -on: automaton/automata/automa'
-eu/-eau: adieu/adieux/adieus, plateau/plateaus/plateaux (Izl).

Alternative plurals can have different meanings: e.g. antennae is a biological term;
antennas can describe e.g. radio aerials.

Nouns with foreign plurals only, e.g.

-us: alumnus/alumni;
-a: alumna/alumnae;
-um: stratum/strata;
-is: analysis/analyses;
-on: criterion/criteria

Media + singular or plural verb is used to refer to the press, TV, etc
Data is used with a singular or plural verb.
Agenda is a foreign plural used in the singular in English with a regular plural, agendas.
Compound nouns and their plurals

Plural mainly in the last element

The tendency is to:

- put a plural ending (-s -es, etc.) on the second noun in noun + noun combinations:
boyfriends, flower shops, matchboxes, etc. and in gerund + noun combinations: frying
pans
- put a plural ending on the noun: onlookers lookers-on, passers
- put a plural ending on the last word when no noun is present: breakdowns forget-me-
nots, grown-ups, lay-offs, etc.

Plural in the first element in some compounds

attorney general/attorneys general, court-martial/courts-martial; man-of-war/men-of-

war, mother-in-law/mothers-in-law (but in laws in general references: Our in-laws are
staying with us)] notary public/notaries public, spoonful/spoonsful (or spoonfuls).

Plural in the first and last element

When the first element is man or woman, then both elements change man student men
students, woman student/women students, but note compounds with lady: lady
friend/lady friends.

Other compounds with man and woman form their plurals only in the second word: man-
eaters, manholes, woman-haters, etc.

The plural of proper nouns

Plural surnames occur when we refer to families:

+ -s; The Atkinsons/The Frys are coming to dinner
+ -es; They're forever trying to keep up with the Joneses
1. Say which is the plural of the following nouns:

1. There are many black (sheep) in New Zealand.

2. Henry VIII had many (wife).
3. From the boat we saw the white (cliff) of Norway.
4. I've lost my (box).
5. Many (woman) like you, I don't know why!
6. (piano)are difficult to carry.
7. The lion lost two (tooth) during the fight.
8. In this cartoon (mouse) are more intelligent than cats.
9. Did your father buy you new (dress)?
10. There are (potato) in my stew.

2. Write the correct plural form:

1. man- 10. mouse -

2. knife - 11. tooth -
3. life - 12. wife -
4. calf - 13. shelf -
5. leaf - 14. wolf -
6. woman - 15. loaf -
7. child - 16. potato -
8. foot - 17. lady -
9. family - 18. baby -

3. Write the correct plural form:

1) half -2) kilo - ..3) woman - 4) mouth -. 5) foot - ..6) sheep -

..7) penny - ..8) bus - ..9) day - 10) fish- .

4. Write the correct plural form:

1) analysis 2) appendix ../ 3)axis.. 4) basis 5)cactus ./

6)criterion 7)datum. 8)diagnosis. 9)index ../
10) medium /. 11)oasis.. 12) hypothesis 13) phenomenon
.. 14) parenthesis ..15) thesis ..

Spell the following numbers:

742 67
564 98
1948 2635
3539 1944
9484 2625

Say which is the plural of the following numbers:

Leaf; knife; fork; fish; piano; boy; man; child; radio

Rspuns 5.1
Exercise 1
thirtieth
eighty-ninth
one thousand seventeen hundred and twenty-one
eight thousand six hundred and fifty four
one hundred eighty-five
two thousand and mine
two hundred seventeen
eleventh
third

Exercise 2
nineteen oh five
seventeen eighty-nine
one thousand and one
two thousand and nine
nineteen seventy-five
two thousand
eighteen seventy-seven

Exercise 3
Its half past eight.
Its five past eight
Its a quarter past ten
Its twenty-five to nine
Its ten past three
Its five past nine.

Exercise 4
Cardinal: twenty-nine, ten, thirty, fourteen, seven, twelve, thirty-one, thirty, fourteen,
eight hundred sixty-two,
Ordinal: twenty-ninth, thirty-first, twenty-eighth, thirteenth, ninety-third, eleventh, sixty-
second, twentieth, twenty-third, eighty-seventh, twelfth, forty-first

Rspuns 5.2.

Exercise 1.
1. SHEEP
2. WIVES (wife).
3. CLIFFS(cliff) .
4. LUGGAGE (luggage).
5. PEOPLE (people)
6. PIANOS(piano)
7. TEETH (tooth)
8. MICE (mouse)
9. ADVICE (advice)
10. HAIR (hair)

Exercise 2
1. man MEN
2. knife KNIVES
3. life LIVES
4. calf CALVES
 5. leaf LEAVES
6. woman WOMEN
7. child CHILDREN
8. foot FEET
9. family FAMILIES
10. mouse MICE
11. tooth TEETH
12. wife WIVES
13. shelf SHELVES
14. wolf WOLVES
15. loaf LOAVES
16. potato POTATOES
17. lady LADIES
18. baby BABIES

Exercise 3
halves; kilos; women; mouths; feet, sheep; pence; buses; days; fish/fishes

Exercise 4
analyses; appendixes/appendices; axes; bases; cactuses/cacti; criteria; data; diagnoses;
indexes/indices; mediums/media; oases; octopuses/octopi; phenomena;
syllabuses/syllabi; theses, parentheses