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Numbers Dates & Time

Counting telling time and dates

Cardinal numbers are used for counting

One two three follow regular patterns after twelve.

📊 Number patterns
Range Pattern Example
13–19 base + teen fourteen
20–90 base + ty sixty
100+ hundred + and + rest two hundred and one
💬 Examples
thirteen / thirty
teen endings for 13-19; ty endings for 20-90
📝 -teen = teens ; -ty = tens
one hundred and five
and connects hundreds to smaller numbers
📝 and links hundreds and units
Dates use ordinal numbers

First second third — then -th for the rest.

💬 Examples
the 1st of January
first is the ordinal form of one
📝 first = ordinal
March 15th
fifteenth is the ordinal form of fifteen
📝 fifteenth = ordinal
Time uses 'o'clock' 'past' and 'to'

Traditional time-telling uses past and to for minutes.

💬 Examples
It is half past three.
30 minutes after 3 = half past 3
📝 half past = 30 minutes after
It is quarter to six.
15 minutes before 6 = quarter to 6
📝 to = minutes before the hour