Numbers in English work as determiners because they give information about quantity, order, fractions, or position before a noun. Examples:
- three books
- first place
- half a pizza
Cardinal Numbers in English
Cardinal numbers show quantity.
Examples:
- I have one car.
- There are five students in the class.
- There are twenty apples in the bag.
Hyphen Rule for numbers in English
Numbers from 21 to 99 use a hyphen (dash).
Incorrect:
forty five
Correct:
forty-five
Using “And” After Hundred
In British English, we usually use “and” after hundred. Examples:
- one hundred and ten
- two hundred and fifty
In American English, the “and” is often omitted. Examples:
- one hundred ten
- two hundred fifty
Both forms are correct.
Ordinal Numbers in English
Ordinal numbers show order or position.
Examples:
- This is the second floor.
- She is the first student to try this.
- That’s the tenth page of the manuscript.
- Today is the third of May. (Days of the month are always ordinal)
Most ordinal numbers use ‘th’. Examples: fourth, sixth, tenth. However, some ordinal numbers are different.
| Number | Ordinal |
|---|---|
| 1st or 1st | first |
| 2nd or 2nd | second |
| 3rd or 3rd | third |
Note: Compound ordinal numbers also use hyphens (dash).
Examples: twenty-first, thirty-second.
Fractions and Decimals
Fractions and decimals also work as determiners.
Examples:
- one third of the cake
- 2.5 liters
Fraction Rules
Singular and Plural
Use singular for 1. Examples:
- one third
- one quarter
Use plural for numbers over 1. Examples:
- two thirds
- three quarters
Using “Of”
Many fractions use “of” before some nouns. Examples:
- half of the class
- one third of the cake
- three quarters of the students
Decimal Rules
Decimals use a point. Examples:
- 2.5 → two point five
- 7.2 → seven point two
After the decimal point, we usually read numbers one by one. Examples:
- 3.14 → three point one four
- 10.05 → ten point zero five
Mixed Numbers
Mixed numbers combine a whole number and a fraction. Examples:
- 1½ → one and a half
- 2¾ → two and three quarters
Mixed numbers can also be written as decimals. Examples:
- 1½ = 1.5
- 2¾ = 2.75
Exercises on Numbers in English
Cardinal Numbers Exercises: EnglishHilfen | Wordwall1 | Wordwall2 | Wordwall3 | Wordwall4 | AgendaWeb1 | AgendaWeb2 | AgendaWeb3 | AgendaWeb4 | AgendaWeb5 | LiveWorksheets
Big Numbers Exercises: Liveworksheets | AgendaWeb1 | AgendaWeb2 | AgendaWeb3 | AgendaWeb4 | PassportToEnglish | Wordwall1 | Wordwall2
Ordinal Numbers Exercises: AgendaWeb1 | AgendaWeb2 | AgendaWeb3 | AgendaWeb4 | EnglishRoom1 | EnglishRoom2 | LiveWorksheets1 | LiveWorksheets2 | Liveworksheets3 | Liveworksheets4
Fractions: Liveworksheets1 | Liveworksheets2 | Wordwall1 | Wordwall2
All Mixed: ToLearnEnglish | Ego4U-Random | LiveWoksheets |