Course 1 - Numbers in English PDF

18.10.
2020
Course 01
Using numbers in English
Most of the examples given on the following slides

have been borrowed from
• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online

Copyright © 1996–2020 Pearson All rights reserved.
• Cambridge Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press 2020
• Collins English Dictionary

© Collins 2020
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
© 2020 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
1
Lect. dr. Bogdan Veche
18.10.2020
Other sources
• Deeb, Carol. (2019, March 06). The Importance of

Basic Math in Business. Small Business - Chron.com.
Retrieved from
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-basic-math-
business-41097.html
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What are these numbers called?

1, 2, 3, 4,… 1234,… ∞ Cardinal numbers
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th… Ordinal numbers
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11… Odd numbers
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12… Even numbers
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17… Prime numbers
A number ending in zero A round number
A number that is more than zero A positive number
A number that is less than zero A negative number
A number that is not a fraction A whole number
5
Zero
Love Nought
Nil
Nothing
Zip “o”/oʊ/
Zilch
6
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Normal in scientific contexts

(physics, mathematics)
-1.04 = minus one point zero four
Used in both Am.E. and Br.E., in

measurements of temperature.
Three degrees above zero; absolute
zero; sub-zero temperatures
7
Used less frequently nowadays.

Used in teaching math in schools.
Feels more natural in the plural.
1. He said it was only worth £10, but really
you could add a couple of noughts to
that (= it is really worth £1,000).
2. He's got several noughts on the end of
his salary.
8
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Used in both Am.E. and Br.E.

when reading numbers one at a
time (room and phone numbers,
years etc.)
My phone number is three, six, o, four,
one, double o (= 3604100).
The year 1805 is usually pronounced

eighteen o five.
9
The challengers lost the game

seven-nil.
Our team won by two goals to
nil.
Last night they drew nil, nil.

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We beat them ten to nothing.

The score is Yankees three,
Red Sox nothing.
= free, without paying

11
We beat them 10 to zip.
‘How much money do you

have left?’ ‘Zip!’
I know zip/zilch about computers.
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The score now stands at 15–

love. (= 15-0)
13
Fill in the blanks with the following words: net zero ; zero inflation ; zero interest ; zero-based ; zero-carbon ; zero defects ;
zero-hours ; zero-percent ; zero-rated ; zero-sum game.
1. zero-sum game in which one party gains what the other loses.
The stock market is now a ……………………………………,
2. zero-rated
Donated goods are ……………………………………… for VAT purposes.
3. zero defects
The company manages to make goods with ………………………………………… due a rigorous system of total quality control.
4. zero-carbon
A ………………………………………… footprint should be the long-term goal in many branches of industry.
5. zero interest
Most banks nowadays offer a period of …………………………………………… for new customers.
6. zero inflation
The February consumer price index showed ………………………………………………………… .
7. zero-percent
Car dealerships enjoyed a record-breaking month, thanks to ……………………………………… financing deals.
8. zero-hours
A …………………………………….......... contract is a contract with no work guaranteed by the employer.
9. zero-based
……………………………………………… budgeting asks managers to examine the services they are required to deliver and then
build up their cost structure from scratch.
net zero
10. He suggested that immigration should be reduced to at least ……………………………………………… .
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Each figure is said

separately,
pausing after groups of

three or four (not two)
305 7533
Three oh five, seven five three three
Am.E. = Three zero five, seven five three three
15
Use “double”
5617 5543
five six one seven, double five four three
Use “triple”
2138 6888
Two one three eight, six triple eight
Say each figure separately

5-6-1-7-5-5-4-3
2-1-3-8-6-8-8-8
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Br.E. Hundred / thousand / million

+ and + numbers below a hundred
• 452 = four hundred and fifty-two
• 6,763 = six thousand, seven hundred and sixty-three
Am.E. “and” is usually dropped
• 452 = four hundred fifty-two
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65 348
65.348 65,348
Large numbers are divided into groups of three figures, by
separating off the thousands and the millions using:
 commas
 spaces
19
Length
Money Weight
DECIMALS
20
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Zero point five

0.5 Nought point five (Br.E.) Point five
Nought / zero point two nought / zero / oh eight six
0.2086 point two nought / zero / oh eight six
98.477 Ninety-eight point four seven seven
4.67 Four point six seven
21
.
[ ] = the decimal point  [0,5]
0.01 nought/zero [.] nought / zero / “o”
After the decimal point, figures are

expressed digit by digit.
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• Express quantities
less than one (<1)
• Made up of
FRACTIONS a cardinal number
followed by
an ordinal ,
usually in the
plural (thirds,
fifths, sixths etc.)
23
1/
½
3 a half
a third
¼
a quarter
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2/3 1/8
two thirds an/one eighth
¾ 5/8
three quarters five eighths
1/5 1½
a/one fifth one and a half
25
•Cardinal
number
Eight-tenths
•= Ordinal
number, in
the plural
when needed
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One/a ton and three quarters
tons One and three quarter tons
Ten and a/one half kilometers
Ten kilometers and a half

km
27
An idiom = a group of words in

a fixed order that have
a particular meaning that is different from
the meanings of each word on its own:
To “bite off more than you can chew" is

an idiom that means ”to try to do something
that is too difficult for you”.
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Fill in the blanks with numbers from one to nine

• He promised to govern in the interests of all, and not just the
one percent.
_____
five !
• OK, everybody, you’ve worked enough. Take _____
two
• She has been out of work for months and doesn’t have ______
pennies to rub together.
six figures.
• The final cost of the project will easily run into ______
twos .
ones and ______
• The replies to his mail came back in _______
• They didn’t tell us he had been fired, but we saw his office was empty
two and _______
and put _______ two together.
• We've been at ________

sixes and ________
sevens in the office this week.
29
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18.10.

Using numbers in English

Most of the examples given on the following slides

• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online

• Collins English Dictionary

• Deeb, Carol. (2019, March 06). The Importance of

What are these numbers called?

Normal in scientific contexts

Used in both Am.E. and Br.E., in

Used less frequently nowadays.

Used in both Am.E. and Br.E.

The year 1805 is usually pronounced

The challengers lost the game

Last night they drew nil, nil.

We beat them ten to nothing.

= free, without paying

We beat them 10 to zip.

‘How much money do you

I know zip/zilch about computers.

The score now stands at 15–

Each figure is said

pausing after groups of

Say each figure separately

Br.E. Hundred / thousand / million

Am.E. “and” is usually dropped

• 452 = four hundred fifty-two

Zero point five

98.477 Ninety-eight point four seven seven

4.67 Four point six seven

0.01 nought/zero [.] nought / zero / “o”

After the decimal point, figures are

One/a ton and three quarters

tons One and three quarter tons

Ten and a/one half kilometers

Ten kilometers and a half

An idiom = a group of words in

To “bite off more than you can chew" is

Fill in the blanks with numbers from one to nine

• We've been at ________

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