Numbers

Fractions and decimals: two fifths; nought point four

We say simple fractions like this:

Fraction	Read/Write as
¼	a/one quarter
⅛	an/one eighth
³⁄₇	three sevenths
⅖	two fifths
¹¹⁄₁₆	eleven sixteenths
3¾	three and three quarters
6⅛	six and one eighth

More complex fractions can be expressed by using the word over.

• ³¹⁷⁄₅₀₉: three hundred and seventeen over five hundred and nine

We write and say decimals like this:

Decimal	Read/Write as
0.4	nought/zero point four (not 0,4) or nought comma four
0.375	nought/zero point three seven five (not nought point three hundred and seventy-five)
4.7	four point seven

For the difference between a(n) and one with numbers, (see here) below.

Before nouns

With fractions below 1, we use of before nouns.

• three quarters of an hour
• seven tenths of a mile
• a third of the students

Half is not always followed by of (see here).

• half an hour (AmE also a half hour)
• half (of) the students

Of is also possible with decimals below 1.

• nought point six of a mile
• 0.1625cm: nought point one six two five of a centimetre

However, decimals below 1 are often followed directly by plural nouns.

• nought point six miles (not nought point six mile)
• nought point one six two five centimetres

Fractions and decimals over 1 are normally followed by plural nouns.

• one and a half hours (not one and a half hour)
• three and three eighths miles
• 1.3 millimetres (not 1.3 millimetre)

Note also the structure a … and a half.

• I’ve been waiting for an hour and a half.

Singular or plural verbs

Singular verbs are normally used after fractions, decimals, and other expressions referring to amounts and measurements (for more details, (see here).

• Three quarters of a ton is too much. (not Three quarters of a ton are …)
• 3.6 kilometres is about 2 miles.

But plural verbs are used when we are talking about numbers of people or things, even after a singular fraction.

• A third of the students are from abroad. (not A third of the students is …)
• Half of the glasses are broken.

After expressions like one in three, one out of five + plural noun, both singular and plural verbs are possible.

• One in three new cars break/breaks down in the first year.

Telephone numbers

We say each figure separately, pausing after groups of three or four (not two). 0 is often called oh (like the letter O).

• 307 4922: three oh/zero seven, four nine two two

Roman numerals

Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, etc) are not common in modern English, but they are still used in a few cases – for example the names of kings and queens, page numbers in the introductions to some books, the numbers of paragraphs in some documents, the numbers of questions in some examinations, the figures on some old clock faces, and occasionally the names of centuries.

• It was built in the time of Henry V.
• For details, see Introduction page ix.
• Do question (vi) or question (vii), but not both.
• a fine XVIII Century English walnut chest of drawers

The Roman numerals normally used are as follows:

Arabic numeral	Roman numeral	Arabic numeral	Roman numeral	Arabic numeral	Roman numeral
1	I i	10	X x	40	XL xl
2	II ii	11	XI xi	45	XLV xlv
3	III iii	12	XII xii	50	L l
4	IV iv	13	XIII xiii	60	LX lx
5	V v	14	XIV xiv	90	XC xc
6	VI vi	19	XIX xix	100	C c
7	VII vii	20	XX xx	500	D
8	VIII viii	21	XXI xxi	1000	M
9	IX ix	30	XXX xxx	1995	MCMXCV

Cardinal and ordinal numbers: books, chapters, etc; kings and queens

After a noun we usually use a cardinal number (one, two, etc) instead of an ordinal number (first, second, etc). This structure is common in titles. Compare:

• the fourth book – Book Four
• the third act – Act Three
• Mozart’s thirty-ninth symphony – Symphony No. 39, by Mozart
• the third day of the course – Timetable for Day Three

However, the names of kings and queens are said with ordinal numbers.

• Henry VIII: Henry the Eighth (not Henry Eight)
• Louis XIV: Louis the Fourteenth
• Elizabeth II: Elizabeth the Second

Centuries

Note how the names of centuries relate to the years in them. The period from 1701 – 1800 is called the 18th century (not the 17th); 1801 – 1900 is the 19th century, etc.

Floors

The ground floor of a British house is the first floor of an American house; the British first floor is the American second floor, etc.

and: punctuation

In British English we always put and between hundred/thousand/million and numbers below a hundred. In American English, and can be dropped.

Number	Read as
310	three hundred and ten (AmE also three hundred ten)
5,642	five thousand, six hundred and forty-two
2,025	two thousand and twenty-five

In measurements containing two different units, and is possible before the smaller, but is usually left out.

• two hours (and) ten minutes
• two metres (and) thirty centimetres

In writing we generally use commas (,) to divide large numbers into groups of three figures, by separating off the thousands and the millions. Full stops (.) are not used in this way.

• 3,127 (not 3.127)
• 5,466,243

We do not always use commas in four-figure numbers, and they are not used in dates.

• 4,126 or 4126
• the year 1648

Spaces are also possible.

• There are 1 000 millimetres in a metre.

Note the hyphen between the tens and units in twenty-one, twenty-two, thirty-six, forty-nine, etc.

a and one

We can say an eighth or one eighth, a hundred or one hundred, a thousand or one thousand, a million or one million, etc. One is more formal.

• I want to live for a hundred years. (not … for hundred years)
• He was fined one thousand pounds for dangerous driving.

A can only be used at the beginning of a number. Compare:

• a/one hundred
• three thousand one hundred (not three thousand a hundred)

A thousand can be used alone, and before and, but not usually before a number of hundreds. Compare:

• a/one thousand
• a/one thousand and forty-nine
• one thousand, six hundred and two (More natural than a thousand, six hundred and two.)

We can use a or one with measurement words. The rules are similar.

• a/one kilometre (BUT one kilometre, six hundred metres)
• an/one hour and seventeen minutes (BUT one hour, seventeen minutes)
• a/one pound (BUT one pound twenty-five)

Numbers with determiners

Numbers can be used after determiners. Before determiners, a structure with of is necessary.

• You’re my one hope.
• One of my friends gave me this. (not One my friend …)

eleven hundred, etc

In an informal style we often use eleven hundred, twelve hundred, etc instead of one thousand one hundred, etc. This is most common with round numbers between 1,100 and 1,900.

• We only got fifteen hundred pounds for the car.

This form is used in historical dates before 2000 (see here).

• He was born in thirteen hundred.
• It was built in fifteen (hundred and) twenty-nine.

billion

A billion is a thousand million. (But in older British usage a billion was a million million.)

five hundred, etc without -s

After a number, the words dozen, hundred, thousand, million and billion have no final -s, and of is not used. This also happens after several and a few. Compare:

• five hundred pounds
  hundreds of pounds
• several thousand times
  It cost thousands.
• a few million years
  millions of years

Singular forms are used as modifiers before nouns in plural measuring expressions.

• a five-pound note (not a five-pounds note)
• a three-mile walk
• six two-hour lessons
• a three-month-old baby
• a four-foot deep hole
• a six-foot tall man

In an informal style, we often use foot instead of feet in other structures, especially when we talk about people’s heights.

• My father’s just over six foot two.

note

For the use of be in measurements, (see here).

For the use of possessive forms in expressions of time (e.g. ten minutes’ walk; four days’ journey), (see here).

British money

There are 100 pence in a pound. Sums of money are named as follows:

• 1p
• 5p
• £3.75
• one penny (informal one p (/piː/) (or a penny))
• five pence (informal five p)
• three pounds seventy-five (pence) or (more formal) three pounds and seventy-five pence

Some people now use the plural pence as a singular in informal speech; pound is sometimes used informally as a plural.

• That’s two pounds and one pence, please.
• It cost me eight pound fifty.

Singular forms are used in expressions like a five-pound note (see above). However, pence is often used instead of penny (a five-pence stamp).

American money

There are 100 cents (¢) in a dollar ($). One-cent coins are called pennies; five-cent coins are nickels; ten-cent coins are dimes; a twenty-five cent coin is a quarter.

Metric and non-metric measures

Britain uses not-metric measures (miles, yards and feet) for road distances; heights are often given in feet.

• The car park’s straight on, about 500 yards on the right.
• We are now flying at an altitude of 28,000 feet.

Metric measures are now standard for most other purposes, but non-metric measures are also sometimes used. The US generally uses non-metric units.

• It’s 30 miles to the nearest hospital.
• The lightest road bike ever weighs around 6 pounds.

Other English-speaking countries use the metric system. Approximate equivalents are as follows:

• 1 inch (1in) = 2.5cm
• 12 inches = 1 foot (30cm)
• 3 feet (3ft) = 1 yard (90cm)
• 5,280 feet / 1,760 yards = 1 mile (1.6km)
• 5 miles = 8km
• 1 ounce (1oz) = 28gm
• 16 ounces = 1 pound (455gm)
• 2.2 pounds (2.2lb) = 1kg
• 14 pounds (14lb) = 1 stone (6.4kg) (BrE only)
• 1 British pint = 568ml
• 1 US pint = 473ml
• 8 pints (8pt) = 1 gallon
• 1 British gallon = 4.55 litres
• 1 US gallon = 3.78 litres
• 1 acre = 4,840 square yards = 0.4 hectares
• 1 square mile = 640 acres = 259 hectares

Area and volume

We say, for example, that a room is twelve feet by fifteen feet, or that a garden is thirty metres by forty-eight metres.

A room twelve feet by twelve feet can be called twelve feet square; the total area is 144 square feet.

A container 2 metres by 2 metres by 3 metres has a volume of 12 cubic metres.

a and per

When we relate two different measures, we usually use a/an; per is often used in formal writing.

• It costs two pounds a week. (or … £2 per week.)
• We’re doing seventy miles an hour. (or … 70 miles per hour / mph.)

Numbers not used as complements after be

Numbers are used as subjects or objects, but not usually as complements after be except in calculations, (see here) below.

• I’ve got three sisters. (not My sisters are three.)
• There are twelve of us in my family. (More natural than We are twelve …)

Spoken calculations

Common ways of saying calculations in British English are:

• 2 + 2 = 4:
  • Two and two is/are four. (informal)
  • Two plus two equals/is four. (formal)
• 7 − 4 = 3:
  • Four from seven is/leaves three. (informal)
  • Seven take away four is/leaves three. (informal)
  • Seven minus four equals/is three. (formal)
• 3 × 4 = 12:
  • Three fours are twelve. (informal)
  • Three times four is twelve. (informal)
  • Three multiplied by four equals/is twelve. (formal)
• 9 ÷ 3 = 3:
  • Three(s) into nine goes three (times). (informal, especially BrE)
  • Nine divided by three equals/is three. (formal)

Example of a spoken calculation

Here, for interest, is a multiplication (146×281) together with all its steps, in the words that a British English speaker might have used as he/she was working it out on paper before the days of pocket calculators.

  146
× 281
-----
29200
11680
  146
-----
41026

A hundred and forty-six times two hundred and eighty-one.

• beginning: Put down two noughts. Two sixes are twelve; put down two and carry one; two fours are eight and one are nine; two ones are two.
• next line: Put down one nought. Eight sixes are forty-eight; put down eight and carry four; eight fours are thirty-two and four is thirty-six; put down six and carry three; eight ones are eight and three is eleven.
• next line: One times 146 is 146.
• addition: Six and nought and nought is six; eight and four and nought is twelve; put down two and carry one; six and two are eight and one is nine and one is ten; put down nought and carry one; nine and one are ten and one is eleven; put down one and carry one; two and one are three and one are four.
• total: forty-one thousand and twenty-six.

Note how is and are can often be used interchangeably.

note

For ways of saying and writing dates, (see here).

For ways of telling the time, (see here).