English learners often find ordinal numbers useful in everyday conversations. This reference will guide you through the basics of ordinal numbers and compare ordinal numbers versus cardinal numbers. By the end, you’ll feel more confident using them in your daily English conversations.
Contents
What are Ordinal Numbers?
Ordinal numbers are used in dates, addresses, rankings, and more. These words can help you describe sequences and order in a way that others easily understand. In English, ordinal numbers are used in the following situations:
To define the position of an element within a sequential order.
- Ex: Sarah goes first and Peter second.
- Ex: The person with the highest score will have the first position.
Kings and queens names are used before the ordinal number when spoken English
- Ex: Henry V – Henry the Fifth
- Ex: Elisabeth I- Elisabeth the First
To indicate a century and the floor of a building.
- Ex: Who is the best scientist of the 20th century?
- Ex: I live on the fourth floor.
To indicate the anniversary year of something or someone.
- Ex: It’s their twelfth wedding anniversary.
- Ex: Paola’s birthday is on 7th August.
On a specific date to indicate the specific day of a month.
- Ex: It’s the 5th of June.
List of Ordinal Numbers
The first three numbers have the endings -st, -nd, and -rd. The other numbers take the ending -th. Keep in mind that the tents ending in zero adopt the ending -ieth and the numbers that contain the unit 1, 2, 3 will retain the ending first, second, and third respectively.
- First – 1st
- Second – 2nd
- Third – 3rd
- Fourth – 4th
- Fifth – 5th
- Sixth – 6th
- Seventh- 7th
- Eighth – 8th
- Tenth- 9th
- ELeventh- 10th
- Twelfth – 12th
- Thirteenth- 13th
- Fourteenth – 14th
- Fifteenth – 15th
- Sixteenth – 16th
- Seventeenth- 17th
- Eighteenth- 18th
- Nineteenth – 19th
- Twentieth – 20th
- Twenty-first – 21st
- Twenty-second – 22nd
- Twenty-third – 23rd
- Twenty-fourth – 24th
- ……….
- Thirtieth – 30th
- Thirty-first – 31st
- Thirty-second – 32nd
- Thirty-third- 33rd
- Thirty-fourth – 34th
- …..
- Fortieth – 40th
- Fiftieth – 50th
- Sixtieth – 60th
- Seventieth – 70th
- Eighth – 80th
- Ninetieth – 90th
- Hundredth – 100th
- ……
- Thousandth – 1000th
Ordinal Numbers vs. Cardinal Numbers
The main difference between the ordinal numbers and cardinal numbers is the use. A cardinal number is a number that how many of something there and the ordinal number is a number that tells the position of something in a list.
Therefore, ordinal numbers do not quantify the noun, like the cardinals, but rather identify and individualize it within an ordered set of elements of the same class.
Some examples of the use of cardinal numbers in English:
- Ex: She was born in 1998.
Count
- Ex: I have three brothers.
To say your age
- Ex: I am twenty years old.
A phone number
- Ex: My phone number is 202-555-0130
In the case of ordinary numbers, they are used for dates, orders, names of kings and queens, anniversaries, and floors.
In short, cardinal numbers signify quantity whereas ordinal numbers signify order and position.
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