ABA Journal The digital English academy
Hi!
Nice to have you here.
Do you know the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers?
Cardinal numbers tells “how many.” Cardinal numbers are also known as “counting numbers,” because they show quantity.
For example: “Today I ate 4 bananas, 1 apple and 2 oranges”.
See? The numbers tell us the quantity of fruit I ate today.
Ordinal numbers tell the order of things —first, second, third, etc. Ordinal numbers do not show quantity. They only show rank or position.
For example: “I ate the bananas first, the apples second and the oranges third”.
Here, I am telling you the order I ate the fruit, but not how many of each fruit I ate.
Easy, right?
Here’s a list of the first ten ordinal numbers and how to write them abbreviated.
- First – 1st
- Second – 2nd
- Third – 3rd
- Fourth – 4th
- Fifth – 5th
- Sixth – 6th
- Seventh – 7th
- Eighth – 8th
- Ninth – 9th
- Tenth – 10th
One of the most important uses of ordinal numbers is for the date:
“7th (seventh) of November”
“21st (twenty first) of May”
Try to memorize at least 5 today and 5 more tomorrow! It’s the best way to slowly and surely learn a new language.
And remember, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments’ section below!
