Cardinal numbers are whole numbers, such as 0, 1, 2, 3 etc...
When we write numbers bigger than 100, they are written with digits. But, when we say these numbers, we need to say and between the hundreds and tens or ones.
Numbers from 13 to 19 and tens from 30 to 90 (30, 40, 50, etc.) sound very similar. The difference in the pronunciation of each is in how the end must be said.
For pronouncing the ending of some numbers correctly, it is helpful to know that the ending teen sounds like the adolescent, a person aged between 13 and 19. The ending sound ty sounds like the hot drink tea.
Ordinal numbers are numbers that tell you the place and order of something or someone in a list.
As a general rule, to transform a cardinal number to an ordinal number, simply add the letters th at the end of the number word.
There are a few exceptions to the th rule.
- 1st → first
- 2nd → second
- 3rd → third
Apply the same rule when 1, 2 and 3 are part of a larger number.
- 31st → thirty-first
- 52nd → fifty-second
- 83rd → eighty-third
Cardinal numbers that end with the letter y will have a different ending when ordinal. The y will become an ie followed by a th.
20 - twenty - twentieth
60 - sixty - sixtieth
A decimal number is a number with a decimal point (.).
When we say decimal numbers, the number left of the decimal is always said like a cardinal number. It is followed by the word and when talking about money, and the word point when talking about everything else.
34.4 - thirty four point four
134.43 - one hundred thirty four point four three
$159.99 - one hundred fifty nine dollars and ninety nine cents
The numbers to the right of the decimal point are said in two different way:
1. If you are talking about a number in general, then each digit is said separtely.
2. If you are talking about money, then the number is said like a cardinal number.
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