Numbers are an important part of speech in English grammar. They are used to quantify things, such as people, places, objects, and ideas. Numbers can be written as words or numerals, and they have different grammatical rules depending on how they are used.
Cardinal numbers
Cardinal numbers are used to count things. They can be written as words or numerals. For example:
- One apple
- 2 apples
- Ten apples
- 100 apples
Cardinal numbers are usually written as words when they come at the beginning of a sentence or when they are used to count small numbers of things. For example:
- One of the apples is rotten.
- I have two cats.
- The class has ten students.
Cardinal numbers are usually written as numerals when they are used to count large numbers of things or when they are used in technical writing. For example:
- I have 100 emails in my inbox.
- The population of the world is 7.9 billion.
- The distance from Earth to the Sun is 93 million miles.
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers are used to show the order of things in a sequence. They are usually written as words. For example:
- First
- Second
- Third
- Fourth
- Fifth
Ordinal numbers are usually used to show the order of finish in a race or competition. For example:
- The first place winner is John.
- Mary came in second place.
- Ben came in third place.
Ordinal numbers can also be used to show the order of items in a list or sequence. For example:
- The first step is to gather your ingredients.
- The second step is to preheat the oven.
- The third step is to mix the ingredients together.
Fractions
Fractions are used to represent parts of a whole. They can be written as words or numerals. For example:
- One-half
- 1/2
- Two-thirds
- 2/3
- Three-fourths
- 3/4
Fractions are usually written as words when they come at the beginning of a sentence or when they are used to describe small parts of a whole. For example:
- One-half of the pizza is eaten.
- I need two-thirds of a cup of flour.
- The pie is cut into eight equal slices.
Fractions are usually written as numerals when they are used in technical writing or when they are used to describe large parts of a whole. For example:
- The water is at a temperature of 3/4 of a degree Celsius.
- The population of the world is growing at a rate of 1.1% per year.
- The Earth is 29.2% covered in water.
Numbers in English Grammar
- There are a few exceptions to the general rules for writing numbers. For example, the number "one" is always written as a word, even when it comes at the beginning of a sentence.
- When writing a number range, such as "1-10" or "20-30", use a hyphen to connect the two numbers.
- When writing a decimal number, use a period to separate the whole number part from the fractional part.
- When writing a percentage, use the percent sign (%) after the number.
Number: Types, Rules & Examples
Here are some examples of how to use numbers in English grammar:
- I have two cats.
- The first place winner is John.
- I need two-thirds of a cup of flour.
- The water is at a temperature of 3/4 of a degree Celsius.
- The population of the world is growing at a rate of 1.1% per year.
