Blog about English
Using cardinal numbers to express quantity, counting and numerical values.
Cardinal numbers express quantity or the number of people or things.
Examples include one, two, ten, one hundred, and five million.
The basic cardinal numbers from zero to ten form the foundation of the English numbering system.
They are zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten.
The numbers from eleven to twenty use their established lexical forms rather than a simple regular pattern.
Important forms include eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty.
Multiples of ten from twenty to ninety have distinct forms and combine with unit numbers for other two-digit numbers.
Examples include twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, and ninety.
Numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine are normally formed by combining the tens and unit numbers with a hyphen in writing.
For example, twenty-one, forty-six, and ninety-nine.
Hundred is used after a number to express multiples or combinations of one hundred.
For example, one hundred, three hundred, and six hundred and twenty.
When hundred is preceded by a specific number, it normally remains singular.
For example, three hundred people, not three hundreds people.
Hundreds can be plural when followed by of to express an indefinite large number.
For example, Hundreds of people attended the event.
Thousand is used after a number to express multiples or combinations of one thousand.
For example, two thousand, five thousand, and twelve thousand three hundred.
When preceded by a specific number, thousand remains singular.
For example, five thousand dollars, not five thousands dollars.
Thousands can be plural when followed by of to express an indefinite large quantity.
For example, Thousands of users visited the website.
Million is used after a number to express quantities of one million or more.
For example, one million, three million, and twenty-five million.
Million remains singular after a specific number.
For example, five million people, not five millions people.
Millions can be plural when followed by of to indicate an indefinite large quantity.
For example, Millions of people use the service.
Billion and trillion follow the same basic pattern as million in modern English number expressions.
For example, two billion users and three trillion dollars.
Large numbers are conventionally grouped into sets of three digits when written numerically.
For example, 1,000,000 and 25,600,000.
Large numbers are normally read by grouping the number into thousands, millions, billions, and similar units.
For example, 2,450,000 is read as two million four hundred and fifty thousand.
British English commonly uses and before the final tens and units within a number containing hundreds, while American English may omit it in some contexts.
For example, 125 may be read as one hundred and twenty-five in British English; one hundred twenty-five is also common in American English.
Zero has several common spoken forms depending on context.
The form zero is standard generally; nought is common in British English in some contexts, while oh is common when digits are read individually.
Nought is a British English form for zero, especially in numerical and mathematical contexts.
For example, 0.5 can be read as nought point five in British English.
Oh can be used informally when reading individual digits, especially in telephone numbers and codes.
For example, 705 can be read as seven oh five when the digits are being given individually.
Plural countable nouns are normally used after zero.
For example, zero students, zero mistakes, and zero cars.
One normally combines with a singular countable noun.
For example, one student, one book, and one mistake.
Cardinal numbers greater than one normally take plural countable nouns.
For example, two books, five students, and ten cars.
Number can function as a noun referring to a numerical value or quantity.
For example, What number is it? and The number five is important.
A number of means several or a relatively large but indefinite number and takes a plural verb.
For example, A number of students are absent.
The number of refers to the numerical quantity of a group and normally takes a singular verb.
For example, The number of students is increasing.
A number of focuses on the members of a group, while the number of focuses on the quantity itself.
For example, A number of students are absent, but The number of students is increasing.
Plural number words followed by of express an indefinite quantity and are followed by a plural noun.
For example, hundreds of people, thousands of dollars, and millions of users.
Expressions such as about, around, approximately, nearly, and over can modify cardinal numbers to indicate approximation.
For example, about fifty people, nearly one hundred users, and over two thousand applications.
More than and less than can introduce quantities and measurements when the exact number is exceeded or not reached.
For example, more than one hundred people and less than twenty minutes.
Exactly emphasizes that a numerical quantity is precise rather than approximate.
For example, exactly one hundred people attended.
A range can be expressed with from ... to, between ... and, or a hyphen in written numerical expressions depending on context.
For example, from ten to twenty, between ten and twenty, and a ten-to-twenty-year period.
Cardinal numbers combine with specialized numerical forms such as fractions, decimals, and percentages according to their own conventions.
For example, 2.5, 25%, and one and a half are numerical expressions that follow more specific rules.
Use the correct form of number words, pluralization, grouping, agreement, and pronunciation when expressing cardinal quantities.
Common mistakes include saying five hundreds instead of five hundred, using a plural verb after the number of, confusing a number of with the number of, and mispronouncing forty.