APPENDIX 9: WRITING AND SPEAKING NUMBERS

a

1   one boy
2   two boys
3   three
4   four
5   five
6   six
7   seven
8   eight
9   nine
10  ten
11  eleven
12  twelve
13  thirteen
14  fourteen
15  fifteen
16  sixteen
17  seventeen
18  eighteen
19  nineteen
20  twenty
30  thirty
40  forty
50  fifty
61  sixty-one
72  seventy-two
99  ninety-nine

1st   the first boy
2nd   the second boy
3rd   third
4th   fourth
5th   fifth
6th   sixth
7th   seventh
8th   eighth
9th   ninth
10th  tenth
12th  twelfth
20th  twentieth
22nd  twenty-second
31st   thirty-first

b

In larger numbers, we put commas (not periods) after thousands and millions. We also say and after hundreds (nowhere else).

100   a hundred/ one hundred
201   two hundred and one
666   six hundred and sixty-six
1,000   a thousand/ one thousand
222,000   two hundred and twenty-two thousand
1,000,000   a million/ one million
426,000,000   four hundred and twenty-six million
2,254,002   two million, two hundred and fifty-four thousand and two

c

For the number 0, we say:

zero  in counting and arithmetic
zero  for the temperature
'o'  in phone numbers etc.
nil  for the score in most sports

d

FRACTIONS

1/2  a half
1/3  a third
1/4  a quarter
1/5  a fifth
2 1/2  two and a half
2 3/4  two and three quarters

DECIMALS

0.5  zero point five
0.33  zero point three three
0.25  zero point two five
0.2  zero point two
2.5  two point five
2.75  two point seven five

e

Whole numbers have no plural. We say two hundred (NOT hundreds). But when we are talking generally, we can say: hundreds of people

f

Numbers go before adjectives: Three large cars were coming along.

but after
a, an, the, this, that, these, those, - the first car
some, any, all, every, either, neither - all three cars

We can also use numbers before of: two of the cars/ two of them

Download PDF
Download Word

Appendix 10