Rules for formation and use of numerals
CARDINAL NUMERALS
A cardinal numeral is part of the sentence which represents a number. We use a cardinal number to count or to say how many of something there are.
NUMERALS 13 – 19
We create numbers 13-19 by adding the ending -teen:
seven – seventeen
six – sixteen
NUMERALS MULTIPLES OF TEN
Numbers that are multiples of ten are created by adding the ending -ty:
six – sixty
seven – seventy
In a few cases, there is a slight spelling change:
four – forty
five – fifty
SEVERAL NUMERALS
Several numerals are written completely differently:
| 11 – eleven 12 – twelve | 13 – thirteen 20 – twenty | 30 – thirty 100 – a hundred |
USE OF NUMERALS IN VARIOUS SITUATIONS
HOURS
In English, we express hours with cardinal numerals:
8:00 – eight (o’clock)
12:00 – twelve (o’clock)
11:18 – eighteen past eleven
1:58 – two (minutes) to two
PHONE NUMBERS
Phone numbers are broken down into single numbers:
356-8971 – three five six – eight nine seven one
When two numbers are the same we use the word “double”:
466-6119 – four double six – six double one nine
In phone numbers, zero is pronounced [əu], just like the letter “o” in the alphabet:
209-5706 – two o nine – five seven o six
