9. The numerals

The numeral is a part of speech which indicates the exact number or the order of persons and things in a series. Accordingly numerals are divided into cardinals (cardinal numerals) and ordinals (ordinal numerals).

§ 1. Cardinal numerals.

Cardinal numerals indicate exact number, they are used in count­ing. As to their structure, the cardinal numerals from 1 to 12 and 100, 1000, 1,000,000 are simple words (one, two, three, etc., hundred, thousand, million); those from 13 to 19 are derivatives with the suffix -teen (thirteen, fourteen, etc.); the cardinal numerals indicating tens are formed by means of the suffix -ty (twenty, thirty, etc.). The numerals from 21 to 29, from 31 to 39, etc. are composite: twenty-two, thirty-five, etc.

Such cardinal numerals as hundred, thousand, and million may be used with articles (a hundred, a thousand, a million); they may be substantivized and. used in the plural (hundreds, thousands, millions). When used after other numerals they do not take -s (two hundred times, thirty thousand years, etc.). The word million may be used with or without -s (two million, two millions). When the word million is followed by some other cardinal nu­meral only the first variant is possible: two million five hundred inhabitants.

§ 2. Ordinal numerals.

Ordinal numerals show the order of persons and things in a series. With the exception of the first three {first, second, third) the ordinal numerals are formed from cardinal numerals by means of the suffix -th. In ordinal groups only the last member of the group takes the ordinal form: (the) sixty-fifth, (the) twenty-third. Ordinal numerals are generally used with the definite article: (the first, the fifth, the tenth, etc.).

§ 3. Fractional numerals.

In fractional numerals a numerator is read as cardinal, a denominator as a substantivized ordinal: 1/5 – one fifths, ¾ - three fourths.

TEST YOURSELF

1. What are the Numerals?

2. What are Cardinal numerals?

3. What are simple numerals?

4. What are derivatives numerals?

5. What are composite numerals?

6. What are substantivized numerals?

7. What are Ordinal numerals?

8. What are Fractional numerals?

Exercise 1. Read and write the following cardinal numerals.

a) 3; 13; 30; 4; 14; 40; 5; 15; 50; 2; 12; 20; 8; 18; 80.

b) 21; 82; 35; 44; 33; 55; 96; 67; 79, 41; 53; 22.

c) 143; 258; 414; 331; 972; 205; 101; 557; 999; 313.

d) 1,582; 7,111; 3,013; 5,612; 2,003; 9,444; 4040.

e) 15,500; 57,837; 45,971; 92,017; 65,331; 11,443.

f) 235,142; 978.218; 106,008; 321,103; 627,344; 552,331.

g) 1,352,846; 4,125,963; 35,756,394; 257,382,761.

Exercise 2. Form, read and write ordinal numerals from the following.

a) 7; 4; 8; 9; 5; 12; 3; 2; 1; 13; 15; 11; 10.

b) 20; 21; 30; 32; 40; 43; 50; 54; 60; 75; 80; 98.

c) 100; 120; 125; 200; 230; 231; 300; 450; 563; 892.

Exercise 3. Read and write the following dates.

17/XII. 1812; 22/IV. 1990; 9/V. 1945; 23/11. 1928; 12/IV. 1961; 27/X. 1977; 30/XI. 1982.

Exercise 4. Answer the following questions.

1. How much is 17 plus 19? 2. How much is 25 plus 32? 3, How much is 120 plus 205? 4. How much is 13 minus 4? 5. How much is 200 minus 45? 6. How much is 7 multiplied by 8? 7. How much is 42 divided by 6?

Exercise 5. Read and write out in words the following common and decimal fractions.

a) 1/7; 1/5; 1/9; 1/3; 1/12; 1/15; 1/25; 3/8; 2/5; 4/7; 9/23; 3/4; 5/9; 1 3/40; 1 3/5; 2 5/7; 5 1/3; 4 1/6.

b) 3.5; 2.34; 12.3; 52.51; 0.1; 0,25; 0,302,132.054; 5.37; 6.4.