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Numbers
Vocabulary

number ​– something (such as coins or bills) used as a way to pay for goods and
services and to pay people for their work
cardinal number​ – a number denoting quantity (one, two, etc.)
ordinal number​ – a number defining the position of something in a series (first,
second, etc.)

Cardinal Numbers (How many?) Ordinal Numbers (Which?)

0 zero/oh/nought
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
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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
31 thirty-one 31st thirty-first
40 forty 40th fortieth
50 fifty 50th fiftieth
60 sixty 60th sixtieth
70 seventy 70th seventieth
80 eighty 80th eightieth
90 ninety 90th ninetieth
100 one hundred 100th one hundredth
1,000 one thousand 1,000th one thousandth
1,000,000 one million 1,000,000th one millionth
1,000,000,000 one billion 1,000,000,000th one billionth
1,000,000,000,000 one trillion 1,000,000,000,000th one trillionth

If we use the numbers in the hundreds, there is a difference depending on the variant
of English we use:
136 = one hundred ​and​ thirty-six (BrE)one hundred thirty-six (AmE)

In English, we separate thousands with a comma (,):

54,000 – fifty-four thousand
$2,564,138 – two million, five hundred (and) sixty-four thousand, one hundred (and)
thirty-eight dollars

fractions​ – a numerical quantity that is not a whole number (e.g. ½, 0.3, etc.)
½ – a/one half
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⅓ – a/one third
⅔ – two third​s
¼ – a/one quarter
¾ – three quarter​s
⅕ – a/one fifth
⅖ – two fifth​s
⅛ – an/one eighth
⅜ – three eighth​s
1½ – one and a half
7⅔ – seven and two third​s

The noun that comes after "one and a half" is plural:

We’ve been waiting here for one and a half ​hours​. (We’ve been waiting here for an
hour and a half.)
We walked one and a half ​miles​ in rain. (We walked a mile and a half in the rain.)

decimal​ – a fraction whose denominator is a power of ten and whose numerator is

expressed by figures placed to the right of a decimal point. We use a point (.) to indicate
a decimal number.
0.5 – nought/zero point five
11.93 – eleven point nine three
68.27 – sixty-eight point two seven

A point (.) is also used to indicate money (such as dollars and cents).
$1.50 – one dollar, fifty (cents)/one fifty
$11.99 – eleven dollars, ninety-nine (cents)/eleven ninety-nine
$68.75 – sixty-eight dollars, seventy-five (cents)/sixty-eight seventy-five
$900.00 – nine hundred dollars
$2,100.50 – two thousand, one hundred dollars, fifty (cents)/twenty-one hundred and
fifty cents

a power​ – an expression that represents repeated multiplication of the same factor.

an exponent​ – a small number written to the right and above the base number that
shows how many times to use the number in a multiplication.

5​2​ – five squared

7​3​ – seven cubed
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3​4​ – three to the power of four

percentage/percent sign​ (%) – used to indicate a number or ratio as a fraction of

100
7% – seven percent
16% – sixteen percent
Twenty-eight percent of our citizens voted for that party.
What percentage voted for that party? Twenty-eight (percent).

Arabic numerals​ – any of the number symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Roman numerals​ – any of the letters representing numbers in the Roman numerical
system: I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, M = 1,000.

We can use upper-case letters (capitals) or lower-case letters (small letters) when
writing Roman numerals:
V=v=5

A letter placed after another of greater value adds:

XVII (10+5+2) = xvii = 17

A letter placed before another of greater value subtracts:

XC (100-10) = xc = 90

Letters can be repeated one or two times to increase value:

XX – 20, XXX – 30

However, letters cannot be repeated three times. In this case, we place a letter before
another one of greater value:
XXXX – 40 (10+10+10+10) (incorrect)
XL – 40 (50-10) (correct)

Arabic Numerals Roman Numerals

upper-case letters lower-case letters
1 I i
2 II ii
3 III iii
4 IV iv
5 V v
6 VI vi
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7 VII vii
8 VIII viii
9 XV xv
10 X x
11 XI xi
12 XII xii
13 XIII xiii
14 XIV xiv
15 XV xv
16 XVI xvi
17 XVII xvii
18 XVIII xviii
19 XIX xix
20 XX xx
21 XXI xxl
30 XXX xxx
40 XL xl
50 L l
60 LX lx
70 LXX lxx
80 LXXX lxxx
90 XC xc
100 C c
200 CC cc
300 CCC ccc
400 CD cd
500 D d
1000 M m

plus/addition sign​ (+)

minus/subtraction sign​ (-)
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times/multiplication sign​ (x)

division sign​ (÷ or /)
equals sign​ (=)

Operation What we say/write What we write What we say Result

addition plus (+) 2+4=6 two plus four equals sum
six
subtraction minus (-) 9-8=1 nine minus eight difference
equals one
multiplication times (x) 7 x 3= 21 seven times three product
equals twenty-one
division divided by (÷ or /) 12 / 4= 3 twelve divided by quotient
four equals three /ˈkwəʊʃənt/

What we say/write What we write What we say

less than (<) 3<4 three is less than four
greater than (>) 4>3 four is greater than three
not equal to (≠) x≠z x is not equal to z
approximately equal to (~) x~z x is approximately equal to y
greater than or equal to (≥) x≥z x is greater than or equal to z
less than or equal to (≤) z≤x z is less than or equal to x
square root (√) √81 = 9 the square root of eighty-one
is/equals nine

measurement​ – the size, length, or amount of something, as established by

measuring or a unit or system of measuring
unit​ – an individual thing or person regarded as single and complete but which can
also form an individual component of a larger or more complex whole
length​ – the measurement or extent of something from end to end
weight​– a body's relative mass or the quantity of matter contained by it
capacity​ – the maximum amount that something can contain
customary system​ – the main system of weights and measures used in the U.S. and
a few other countries. It is based on the yard as a unit of length, the pound as a unit of
weight, and the gallon as a unit of liquid volume

Length Weight/Mass Capacity

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1 foot (ft) = 12 inches (in) 1 pound (lb) = 16 ounces 1 pint (pt) = 2 cups
(oz)
1 yard (yd) = 3 feet 1 ton (T) = 2,000 pounds 1 quart (qt) = 2 pints
1 yard = 36 inches 1 quart = 4 cups
1 mile = 1,760 yards 1 gallon (gal) = 4 quarts
1 mile = 5,280 feet

metric system​ – the decimal measuring system based on the meter, liter, and gram
as units of length, capacity, and weight or mass. It is used by nearly 95% of the world
population.

Length Weight/Mass Capacity

1 centimeter (cm) = 10 1 gram (g) = 1,000 milligrams 1 liter (L) = 1,000 milliliters
millimeters (mm) (mg) (mL)
1 decimeter (dm) = 10 1 kilogram (kg) = 1,000 1 deciliter (dL) = 100
centimeters grams (g) milliliters (mL)
1 meter (m) = 10 decimeters
1 kilometer (km) = 1,000
meters

Customary System Metric System

Length
1 inch (in) 2.54 centimeters (cm)
1 foot (ft) 0.30 meter (m)
1 yard (yd) 0.91 meter (m)
1 mile (mi) 1.61 kilometers (km)
Weight/Mass
1 pound (lb) 453.6 grams (g)
1 pound (lb) 0.4536 kilograms (kg)
1 ton (T) 907.185 kilograms (kg)
Capacity
1 cup (c) 236.59 milliliters (mL)
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1 pint (pt) 473.18 milliliters (mL)

1 quart (qt) 946.35 milliliters (mL)
1 gallon (gal) 3.79 liters (L)

phone number ​– a number assigned to a telephone line for a specific phone or set of
phones (as for a residence) that is used to call that phone
digit​ – any of the numerals from 0 to 9, especially when forming part of a number
local​ – relating to a particular region or part, or to each of any number of these
754-4532​ – seven-five-four four-five-three-two
555-3056​ – five-five-five three-​oh​-five-six/five-five-five three-​zero​-five-six
domestic​ – existing or occurring inside a particular country (the opposite of foreign or
international)
area/dialing​ ​code​ – a three-digit code that identifies one of the telephone areas into
which the U.S. and certain other countries are divided and that precedes the local
telephone number when dialing a call between areas
(541) 754-4532 ​– five-four-one seven-five-four four-five-three-two
international call​ – a call made between different countries
country​ ​code​ – a short alphabetic or numeric geographical code developed to
represent a country and a dependent area (used in data processing and
communications)
+​1-541-754-4532 ​– one five-four-one seven-five-four four-five-three-two

bouquet​ – an attractively arranged bunch of flowers, especially one presented as a

gift
emoji​ – a small digital image or icon used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in
electronic communication
cheesy​ – cheap, unpleasant, or blatantly inauthentic OR too emotional or romantic
tin​ (BrE)/​pan​ (AmE) – a metal container without a lid used for cooking food in the
oven
tablespoon​ (tbsp) – a large spoon for serving food
creepy-crawly​ (informal) – a spider, worm, or other small, flightless creature,
especially when considered unpleasant or frightening
homesick​ – experiencing a longing for one's home during a period of absence from it

Verbs

 to
tone something down ​– to make something less extreme or intense
to look something up​ – search for and find a piece of information in a book or
somewhere else
 to mix someone/something up ​– to confuse someone or something with another
person or thing
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to plan something out ​– to make detailed preparations for something in the future
to save something up​ – to keep or store something so that you can use it in the
future
to convert something​ – to change from one type of system or organization to
another, or to make something do this

Phrases

Come to think about/of it, ...​ – used when an idea or point occurs to one while one
is speaking
That’ll do.​ (informal) – used to acknowledge something as being sufficient
I’m up for it.​ (informal) – used to indicate that you are willing to try doing something

Grammar Corner

We can use second conditionals to describe hypothetical situations. We often use ​“If I
were you, I would do something...”​ to express our opinion or to give advice. In this case,
the form ​were​ of the verb ​to be​ is used even with the 1​st​ and 3​rd​ person in the ​if​ clause.
e.g. If I ​were​ you, I wouldn’t buy this $200 watch.
If I ​were​ you, I would definitely buy one more chair.

In informal situations we can also contract the following verbs: ​want to – wanna, have
got to – gotta, going to – gonna. ​These contractions are used only in colloquial speech.
e.g. They don’t wanna give me a 10% raise since I’ve only worked here for 3 years.
You’re not gonna cut down your expenses by buying a third car.
I gotta go, I’m meeting up with Claire in half an hour.

Real Life Situations

(P1 – Person 1, P2 – Person 2)

Birthday Party
P1: Jane’s birthday is coming up.
P2: Yeah, do you have any ideas? I feel like we’ve already done everything. Getting a
bouquet with 30 yellow roses, a giant teddy bear one year, 16 muffins with cute emojis
on them for her 16​th​ birthday. I’m out of ideas.
P1: Come to think about that, wasn’t it super cheesy?
P2: Definitely. The level of cheesiness was turned up to 11, but she likes that.
P1: You don’t think it’s a good idea to tone it down a bit?
P2: If I were planning on throwing a birthday party for you, I would choose something
different. However, we’re talking about Jane here, she’s gonna love that.
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P1: What do you mean exactly?

P2: Let’s order 50 balloons and put them everywhere around the house?
P1: 50? That’s a lot.
P2: OK, maybe 40? And I’d like them to be delivered early in the morning as well.
P1: Let’s look up the price then. Her birthday is on 14 June, right?
P2: No, no, Helen’s birthday is on 14 June, Jane’s is on 16 June.
P1: Ah, right, I always mix those up. Alright, 40 balloons for 16 June… do we need a
card?
P2: Nah, I’m gonna buy one.
P1: Flowers?
P2: Nah, just balloons. That’ll do.
P1: Well, that’s $137. And they’re charging extra for morning delivery. Did you know
that?
P2: Extra?
P1: Yeah, their ordinary delivery is $30, but if we want that to be delivered by 11 a.m.,
that’ll be an additional $15.
P2: So that’s like $190?
P1: $182 to be precise.
P2: Well, I hope Jane likes that!

Chocolate Cake
P1: Now that we have a birthday party planned out, let’s think of a cake.
P2: Oh, I know! We need to bake one!
P1: Can you bake?
P2: Yeah, I did some baking at high school. It’s not as hard as you think.
P1: I mean… I’m up for anything as long as you’re the one doing the baking part.
P2: I think I had a recipe saved up. Do we have a 20cm round tin?
P1: Yeah, I think so.
P2: Good. So we’ll need 200g sugar, 200g unsalted butter, 4 eggs, 200g flour, 2tbsp
cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp vanilla extract, 2 tbsp milk, and some salt.
P1: These are pretty standard ingredients, nothing fancy.
P2: Yeah, it’s perfect. We’ll need 350g chocolate though.
P1: That’s fine, it’s not like we need 1kg chocolate. What kind of chocolate do we
actually need?
P2: 250g dark chocolate, 40g milk chocolate, and 60g white chocolate. The last two
are mainly for decoration.
P1: Ah, it makes sense. Our budget is about $60 for a cake.
P2: That’ll do, no worries.

(Not) The Same

P1: What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen?
P2: A spider when I was 12 and staying at my grandma’s place. That thing was
terrifying. It was like 5 inches big.
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P1: 5 inches? That’s nothing.

P2: Are you kidding me? That spider was huge! It’s a little smaller than your palm.
P1: Ahh, I totally forget about inches. Shouldn’t we multiply it by 1.4?
P2: No, more like 2.5.
P1: That makes more sense.
P2: So my grandma lives in Florida, and they have tons of creepy-crawlies like that.
P1: How do you get there? By plane?
P2: No, we usually go on a road trip. That’s about 680 miles, Atlanta to Miami.
P1: That’s not that far. Probably takes about 6 hours to get there?
P2: More like 10 hours. Man, what’s wrong with you today?
P1: What do you mean?
P2: You’re back to your European units.
P1: I don’t know, maybe I’m homesick and keep converting everything in my head
automatically?
P2: You had 3 cups of tea today, that might be it!
P1: This is the weirdest explanation I’ve ever heard.