Ordinal numbers are numbers that represent the position of an object in a sequence. But do you know how to use them correctly in English? We tell you all about it in the following article.
What are ordinal numbers?
Ordinal numbers are a way of counting and indicate the order of the elements in a sequence. In fact, they are the complete opposite of what are known as cardinal numbers, which are those words that designate the number itself.
Ordinal numbers are found in everyday language and contexts. For example, dates are an example of ordinal numbers, since they tell us when something happened. We can also find ordinal numbers used to label elements (for example, the pages of a book).
How are ordinal numbers written in English?
Most ordinal numbers are created by adding a “th” to the end of the ordinal number. Let’s look at an example:
- Four – Fourth
- Ten – Tenth
If we do not add “th” at the end of the word, we add “st” or “nd”. But sometimes the beginning of the word can also change. For example, we use “st” for the first position, we do not say “onest”, as it is an exception to the rule.
Exceptions in ordinal numbers
- One – First
- Two – Second
- Three – Third
- Five – Fifth
- Eight – Eighth
- Nine – Ninth
- Twelve – Twelfth
Tenths after the tenth are written as their cardinal number by replacing the “y” with an “i” at the end of the word.
- Twenty – Twentieth
- Fifty – Fiftieth
When do we use ordinal numbers in English?
- In English we use ordinals to express dates. We also use them to talk about birthdays.
It’s Mary’s 9th Birthday.
- The names of Kings and Queens are often written in English ordinals. These ordinal numbers are usually represented by Roman numerals.
King Henry the Eighth is represented as King Henry VIII.
- The position someone occupies in a race or tournament would use ordinal numbers. We could think of the first three places; first, second and third in the races, but in the big races we could use much larger ordinal numbers.
She is the first one.
- We would also use ordinal numbers to talk about the floors of a building.
Katie lives on the seventh floor.
If you still have doubts about how to use ordinal numbers correctly, don’t hesitate to sign up for one of our English courses for children or English courses for adults. It’s never too late to learn!
