To conclude this three-part series reviewing numbers today we are going to look at how to say/write numbers in a variety of ways, including decimals, percentages, fractions, and common expressions that use numbers. If you have not yet read the previous two posts in this series it may be helpful for you to review these post Numbers Review Part I and Numbers Review Part II in order to fully understand what is discussed in this post.
Decimals
Decimals are the numbers that come to the right of the decimal point (.). These are the parts of a number less than 1. When reading a decimal number in English you have to say “point” for the period mark (.) as part of the number
2.36 – two point three six
0.1 – zero point zero one
Percentages
Percentages are ratios in which 100 is understood as the maximum amount allowed. When reading a percentage in English you have to say “percent” after the number.
1% – one percent
87% – eighty-seven percent
Fractions
A fraction is a numerical quantity that is not a whole number. Like decimals these are the parts of a number that are less than 1. When reading a faction in English you read the top number first, as a cardinal number, and the bottom number second, as an ordinal number with an -s at the end of the ordinal number. There are a few exceptions to this rule noted below.
2/16 – two sixteenths
3/8 – three eighths
These very common fractions are the exceptions to the rule: ¼ = one quarter, ½ = one half
Numerical expressions
Numbers are used in many common expressions and everyday phrases. Here a a few that you are likely to hear and say.
Speed
100 mph – one hundred miles per hour
55 mph – fifty-five miles per hour
Weight
80 kg – eighty kilograms
255 lbs – two hundred fifty-five pounds
Telephone numbers
In the United States telephone numbers are divided into groups of: 3-3-4. The first group of 3 is called the ‘area code’ the other groups of 3 and 4 are just called the ‘phone number’. The numbers in these groups can be said as individual numbers, or in groups of 2 or 3, but people generally don’t say the last group of four numbers as though it was in the thousands. When saying telephone numbers be sure to pause between the different groupings.
(207) 563-8124 -two oh seven (pause) five six three (pause) eight one two four
(202) 774-2510 – two zero two (pause) seven seven four (pause) twenty-five ten
Dates
Dates in the United States are written in the following order: month/day/year.
12/04/05 – December fourth two thousand five
March 2nd, 1990 – March second nineteen ninety-five
Temperatures
28° C – twenty-eight degrees Celsius
72° F -seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit
Money
$60 – sixty dollars
$5.15 – five dollars and fifteen cents
Happy counting everyone! Don’t forget that you can always count on Transparent Language for resources to help you learn more English, be sure to check our our website for various resources: www.transparent.com.
