Summer on Campus 2013
OH ZERO LOVE
NOUGHT NIL
Saying numbers in English
We say OH
after a decimal point
In telephone numbers
In bus numbers
In hotel numbers
In years
5.03
639 056 781
NO. 201
ROOM 205
1807
FIVE POINT OH THREE
SIX THREE NINE OH FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT ONE
Get the TWO OH ONE
I’m in room TWO OH FIVE.
EIGHTEEN OH SEVEN
We say NOUGHT before the decimal point
We say ZERO
for the number
0.02
0
NOUGHT POINT OH TWO
THE NUMBER ZERO
We say NIL
in football scores
5-0
Spain won FIVE NIL.
We say LOVE
in tennis
15-0
The score is FIFTEEN LOVE.
THE DECIMAL
POINT
In English we use a point (.) and not a comma (,) for decimals. We use commas in figures only when writing
thousands or more.
10,001 is ten thousand and one.
10.001 is ten point oh oh one.
In English, all the numbers after a decimal point are read separately.
10.77
TEN POINT SEVEN SEVEN
NOT ten point sixty six.
0.436
NOUGHT POINT FOUR THREE SIX
0,001
NOUGHT POINT OH OH ONE
OR ten to the power minus 3
People also say
0.05
ZERO POINT OH FIVE
OH POINT OH FIVE
But if the number after the decimal point is a unit of money, it is read like a normal number.
$12.50
TWELVE DOLLARS FIFTY
€2.95 TWO EURO(S) NINETY-FIVE.
An important note: WHEN YOU SAY NUMBERS ON THE PHONE, SAY NOUGHT POINT THREE SEVEN FIVE (0.375) AND
NOT NOUGHT POINT HREE HUNDRED SEVENTY FIVE. IF YOU WERE DOING BUSINESS ON THE PHONE, YOU COULD
LOSE A LOT OF MONEY IF THE LISTENER DID NOT HEAR THE WORD POINT.
PER CENT
When pronouncing, the stress is on CENT. 10% ten per CENT
Interest rates
0.5%
a half of one per cent
0.25%
a quarter of a percentage point
In British English you will hear
a hundred and twenty three.
In American English you usually hear
a hundred twenty three.
The number 1,999 is said one thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine.
The year 1999 is said
nineteen ninety nine.
HUNDREDS,
THOUSANDS AND
MILLIONS
Summer on Campus 2013
The year 2000 is said
The year 2001 is said
The year 2015 is said
the year two thousand.
the year two thousand and one.
the year two thousand and fifteen or twenty fifteen.
YEARS
We say the years separated by the first or the first two numbers and the last two.
1066 is said
ten sixty six
711 is said
seven eleven
BILLION
is a million or 106 ten to the power 6.
is a billion or 109 ten to the power 9.
1,000,000
1,000,000,000
This is now common usage. British English used to be that a billion was ten to the power 12, but now everyone has
accepted the current American usage.
SQUARE,
CUBES
AND ROOTS
102 IS TEN SQUARED.
103 IS TEN CUBED.
√6 IS THE SQUARE ROOT OF 6.
TELEPHONE, FAX NUMBERS AND
EMAIL ADDRESSES
We usually say telephone and fax numbers as individual digits. Many times we spell email addresses.
01273 736344
oh one two seven three, seven three six three four four
344
can also be said 3 double four
44 26 77
double four, two six, double seven.
777
can be said as seven double seven, or seven seven seven.
janeX@aol.com
j a n e x at a o l (spell each letter) dot com
FRACTIONS
Fractions are mostly like ordinal numbers (fifth, sixth, twenty third, etc.)
1/3 a third
1/5 a fifth
1/6 a sixth
Notice the following:
½ a half
¼ a quarter
¾ quarters
3 ½ three and a half
CALCULATING
NOTE: Remember to pronounce the S on equals as /z/. It is singular; the part on the left equals the part on the right.
Summer on Campus 2013
10 + 4 = 14
10 – 4 = 6
10 X 4 = 40
10 ÷ 4 = 2 ½
+ = ADD
ten plus four is fourteen. Ten and four equals fourteen.
ten minus four is six. Ten take away four is/equals six.
Ten times four is/equals forty. Ten multiplied by four is forty.
Ten divided by four is two and a half.
- = SUBTRACT/DEDUCT
x = MULTIPLY
÷ = DIVIDE
Other ways of saying divide are:
Per
€/$
Euro per dollar
6% p.a.
six per cent per annum
Over
(x – y)/z
x minus y over z which is not the same as x, minus Y over z x – y/z
FOREIGN CURRENCY
Notice these ways of speaking about exchange rates:
How many euro(s) are there to the dollar?
How many euro(s) per dollar did you get?
The current rate is 1.27 euro to the dollar.
NUMBERS AS ADJECTIVES
When a number is used before a noun – as an adjective – it is always singular. We say:
A fifty-minute lesson
a thirty-five pound book
A sixteen-week semester
a six-week waiting list
A fifteen-minute walk
a two-and-half litre bottle
A twenty-pound reduction
a two litre engine
Summer on Campus 2013
ACTIVITIES
1. STUDENT A
Say the odd numbers to your partner. Your partner will correct you if necessary.
YOU SAY
YOUR PARTNER WILL SAY (HELP IF NECESSARY!)
1. The exact figure is 0.002
2. Oh one two double four two four nine oh seven one
3. Can you put that on my bill? I’m in room 806. 4. Thirty degrees below zero
5. What’s the score? 2-0 to Juventus.
6. Oh point oh oh oh one
7. It’s somewhere between 3.499 and 3.491.
8. Fourteen pounds fifty
9. I changed 100 euro to dollars and I got $127! 10. One twenty seven
11. Did you say 0.225 or 0.229?
12. A half of one per cent
13. No, I meant 15.005 not 15,005.
14. One thousand one
15. What is 30% of 260?
16. A million
17. 0.75% won’t make a lot of difference.
18. A quarter
19. Why do you say 175 in Britain? In the States we usually say 175. 20. Two thirds
21. Profits will have doubled by the year 2020. 22. One billion two hundred and thirty four million five hundred and sixty seven thousand
eight hundred and ninety
23. No, that’s 2,000,000,000 not 2,000,000!
25. ¾ of the electorate intend to vote.
27. 2/3 of the voters have decided.
29. “3/4 won’t vote Yes!”
31. Say the number: 234, 567
33. Say the number: 3.14159
35. Say the phone number: 01227-764000
37. €7.95
24. Oh point double oh two three four per cent
26. Nineteen fifty
28. Nineteen thousand nine hundred and ninety nine
30. Thirty times twenty five equals seven hundred and fifty
32. One thousand two hundred and thirty four
34. One thousand nine hundred and ninety nine
36. m a r y c a double l a g h a n at yahoo Dot com
38 nineteen oh five (1905) two thousand one (2001)
2. Write 5 sentences with numbers and dictate to your partner.
Summer on Campus 2013
ACTIVITIES
1. STUDENT B
Say the even numbers to your partner. Your partner will correct you if necessary.
YOU SAY
YOUR PARTNER WILL SAY (HELP IF NECESSARY!)
2. Can you get back to me on 01244 249071?
1. The exact figure is nought point oh oh 2. (0.002)
4. It’s 30 degrees below 0!
3. I’m in room eight oh six. (806)
6. It’s less than 0.0001!
5. two nil (2-0) to Juventus.
8. That’s £14.50
7. three point four nine nine three point four nine one 3.499 and 3.491.
10. The dollar is at 1.27.
9. one hundred euro to dollars one hundred and twenty seven dollars!
12. The rate is up by 0.5%.
11. oh point two two five ( 0.225) or oh point two two nine (0.229)?
14. It’s got 1001 uses.
13. fifteen point oh oh five (15.005) not fifteen thousand five( 15,005).
16. You’re one in a 1,000,000!
15. What is thirty percent (30%) of two hundred and sixty (260)?
18. ¼ of the voters will vote yes.
17. oh point seven five (0.75%) won’t make a lot of difference.
20. 2/3 of the electorate won’t vote No. 19. one hundred and seventy five(175) One hundred seventy five (175).
22. Say the number: 1,234 567,890
21. Profits will have doubled by the year twenty twenty (2020).
24. Say the number 0.00234%
23. two billion (2,000,000,000) not two million (2,000,000)!
26. $19.50
25. three quarters ( ¾)
28. Say the number 19,999
27. two thirds (2/3)
30. 30 X 25 = 750
29.three quarters (3/4)
32. Say the number: 1.234
31. two hundred and thirty four thousand five hundred and sixty seven 234, 567
34. 1,999 years
33. three point one four one five nine (3.1415)9
36. My email address is mary.callaghan@yahoo.com 35. (01227-764000) oh one double two seven seven six four double oh oh
38. He was born in 1905 and died in 2001. 37. seven pounds ninety five (€7.95)
2. Write 5 sentences with numbers and dictate to your partner.