20/11/2023 15:10 Ordinal Numbers in English Woodward English

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Ordinal Numbers in English

Ordinal Numbers in English

One, two, three … are cardinal numbers.

First, second, third … are ordinal numbers.

Ordinal numbers normally show the order or sequence of something or someone.

(More about the uses of ordinal numbers below)

You can normally create ordinal numbers by adding -TH to the end of a cardinal
number.

Four – Fourth
Sixteen – Sixteenth

The main exceptions are with the numbers 1, 2, and 3.

one – first
two – second
three – third

Also you need to be careful with the spelling of some ordinal numbers:

five – fifth (not “fiveth“)

nine – ninth (not “nineth“)

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When do we use ordinal numbers?

Ordinal numbers are normally used for:

Dates
We use ordinal numbers when giving a date.

Her birthday is on the 29th. (Twenty-ninth)

Their Independence Day is on the 4th of July. (Fourth of July)

Sequence or Order
We use ordinal numbers when we want to show the order or position of someone or
something in a sequence.

Woodward United finished second in the league last year.

I came third in the race.
This is the first time it has happened.

Floors of a building
Our office is on the ninth floor.
She lives on the second floor.

Birthday Celebrations
A person’s 15th birthday is an important celebration in Mexico.
He had a huge party for his twenty-first birthday.

Centuries
Shakespeare was born in the 16th century.
The Renaissance was a period in European history from the 14th to the 17th century.

Kings and Queens

For the name of a king or queen in written English, Roman numerals are
used. However those Roman numerals are said as an ordinal number in spoken English.

Henry VIII (Henry the Eighth)

Louis XVI (Louis the Sixteenth) was the last king of France before the fall of the
monarchy during the French Revolution.

List of Ordinal Numbers

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We have included all of the ordinal numbers from 1st to 31st because they are needed
when you give a date in English.

The ordinal numbers from 1st to 31st in English are:

1st – first
2nd – second
3rd – third
4th – fourth
5th – fifth
6th – sixth
7th – seventh
8th – eighth
9th – ninth
10th – tenth
11th – eleventh
12th – twelfth
13th – thirteenth
14th – fourteenth
15th – fifteenth
16th – sixteenth
17th – seventeenth
18th – eighteenth
19th – nineteenth
20th – twentieth
21st – twenty-first
22nd – twenty-second
23rd – twenty-third
24th – twenty-fourth
25th – twenty-fifth
26th – twenty-sixth
27th – twenty-seventh
28th – twenty-eighth
29th – twenty-ninth
30th – thirtieth
31st – thirty-first

Summary Chart

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Lesson tags: Birthday, Century, Date, Numbers, Ordinal Numbers

How to say the YEAR in English
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Dates and Time in English

 Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening, Good night

 Days of the week in English

 Months of the Year in English

 How to say the YEAR in English

 Ordinal Numbers in English

 How to say the DATE in English

 Seasons Vocabulary in English

 Sunrise vs. Sunset

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