Dates
In English, we can say dates either with the day before the month, or the month before the day:
"The first of January" / "January the first".
Remember to use ordinal numbers for dates in English.
(The first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the twenty-second, the thirty-first etc.)
Years
For years up until 2000, separate the four numbers into two pairs of two:
1965 = "nineteen sixty-five"
1871 = "eighteen seventy-one"
1999 = "nineteen ninety-nine"
For the decade 2001 – 2010, you say "two thousand and —-" when speaking British English:
2001 = "two thousand and one"
2009 = "two thousand and nine"
However, from 2010 onwards you have a choice.
For example, 2012 can be either "two thousand and twelve" or "twenty twelve".
Phone Numbers
Each figure is said separately. 24 - two four
The figure 'O' is called oh. 105 - one oh five
Pause after groups of 3 or 4 figures (last group).
376 4705 - three seven six, four seven oh five
If two successive figures are the same, in British English you would usually use the word double (in American English you would just say the figure twice)
376 4775 - BE: three seven six, four double seven five
376 4775 - AE: three seven six, four seven seven five
Large numbers
Divide the number into units of hundreds and thousands:
400,000 = "four hundred thousand" (no s plural)
If the number includes a smaller number, use "and" in British English:
450,000 = "four hundred and fifty thousand"
400,360 = "four hundred thousand and three hundred and sixty"
Separation between hundreds and tens
Hundreds and tens are usually separated by 'and' (in American English 'and' is not necessary).
110 - one hundred and ten
1,250 - one thousand, two hundred and fifty
2,001 - two thousand and one
Hundreds
Use 100 always with 'a' or 'one'.
100 - a hundred / one hundred
'a' can only stand at the beginning of a number.
100 - a hundred / one hundred
2,100 - two thousand, one hundred
Thousands and Millions
Use 1,000 and 1,000,000 always with 'a' or 'one'.
1,000 - a thousand / one thousand
201,000 - two hundred and one thousand
Use commas as a separator.
57,458,302
The Number 1,000,000,000 in English is a billion ( миллиард).
1,000,000,000,000 in English is a trillion.
Fractions, ratios and percentages
½ = "one half"
1/3 = "one third"
¼ = "one quarter"
1/5 = "one fifth"
1/ 6 = "one sixth"
3/5 = "three fifths"
1.5% = "one point five per cent"
0.3% = "nought / zero point three per cent"
2:1 = "two to one"
NB Decimal fractions
- Десятичные дроби в английском языке отделяются от целого числа точкой (а не запятой, как в русском языке).
- При чтении десятичных дробей каждая цифра читается отдельно. Точка, отделяющая целое число от дробного, читается point. Нуль читается nought [no:t], (амер.) zero или oh .
0.7 — point seven / nought (zero, оh) point seven
0.08 — point nought eight / nought point oh eight / oh point oh eight
0.001 — point nought nought one / nought point double оh one
1.02 — one point nought two / one point оh two
4.25 — four point twenty five / four point two five
15.106 — one five point one nought six
- Если в дробном числе нет целых единиц, то существительное, которое следует за ним, стоит в единственном числе:
0.75 centimetre — nought point seven five centimetre
Если же в дробном числе есть целые единицы, то существительное, которое за ним следует, ставится во множественном числе.
1.75 centimetres — one point seven five (seventy five) centimetres
Saying 0
Depending on the context, we can pronounce zero in different ways:
2-0 (football) = "Two nil"
30 – 0 (tennis) = "Thirty love"
0.4 (a number) = "nought point four" or "zero point four"
0C (temperature) = "zero degrees"
604 7721 (phone number,account numbers etc.- when each figure is said separately) = "six oh four…"
Talking about calculations in English
+ (plus)
= (equals / makes)
2 + 1 = 3 ("two plus one equals / makes three")
– (minus / take away)
5 – 3 = 2 ("five minus three equals two" / "five take away three equals two")
x (multiplied by / times)
2 x 3 = 6 ("two multiplied by three equals six" / "two times three equals six")
/ (divided by)
6 / 3 = 2 ("six divided by three equals two")
