Cardinal & Ordinal Numbers in English PDF
Table of Contents
Cardinal & Ordinal Numbers
Cardinal Numbers
There are many different types of numbers, but one of the most important distinctions is between cardinal and ordinal numbers. Cardinal numbers are used to indicate quantity, while ordinal numbers are used to indicate order or position. For example, the number “5” is a cardinal number, because it tells us how many things there are. The number “5th” is an ordinal number, because it tells us where something is in a sequence.
Cardinal numbers can be either whole numbers or fractions. Whole numbers like “5” or “42” are pretty straightforward – they just tell us how many things there are. Fractions like “1/2” or “3/4” get a little bit more complicated, because they tell us how many parts of a whole there are.
Cardinal Numbers |
|
| Zero | 0 |
| One | 1 |
| Two | 2 |
| Three | 3 |
| Four | 4 |
| Five | 5 |
| Six | 6 |
| Seven | 7 |
| Eight | 8 |
| Nine | 9 |
| Ten | 10 |
| Eleven | 11 |
| Twelve | 12 |
| Thirteen | 13 |
| Fourteen | 14 |
| Twenty | 20 |
| Thirty | 30 |
| Forty | 40 |
| Fifty | 50 |
| Sixty | 60 |
| Seventy | 70 |
| Eighty | 80 |
| Ninety | 90 |
| One hundred | 100 |
| One thousand | 1000 |
| Ten thousand | 10000 |
| One hundred thousand | 100000 |
| One million | 1000000 |
Ordinal Numbers
An ordinal number is a number that indicates position or rank in a sequence. They are sometimes called “position numbers.” The first ordinal numbers we learn are “first,” “second,” and “third.” We use them to describe where things are in space: “The cat is behind the couch,” or “This book is on the top shelf.”
As we learn more about numbers, we find that every number can be classified as either cardinal or ordinal. A cardinal number answers the question, “How many?” An ordinal number answers the question, “Which one?”
For example, the cardinal number five describes a quantity: five dogs, five books, five people. But if someone line up those five dogs and ask you which one is first, second, third, fourth, or fifth in line? Now you’re using an ordinal number.
Ordinal Numbers |
|
| First | 1st |
| Second | 2nd |
| Third | 3rd |
| Fourth | 4th |
| Fifth | 5th |
| Sixth | 6th |
| Seventh | 7th |
| Eighth | 8th |
| Ninth | 9th |
| Tenth | 10th |
| Eleventh | 11th |
| Twelfth | 12th |
| Thirteenth | 13th |
| Fourteenth | 14th |
| Fifteenth | 15th |
| Sixteenth | 16th |
| Seventeenth | 17th |
| Eighteenth | 18th |
| Nineteenth | 19th |
| Twentieth | 20th |
| Twenty-first | 21st |
| Twenty-2nd | 22nd |
| Twenty-3rd | 23rd |
| Twenty-fourth | 24th |
| Twenty-fifth | 25th |
| Twenty-sixth | 26th |
| Twenty-seventh | 27th |
| Twenty-eighth | 28th |
| Twenty-ninth | 29th |
| Thirtieth | 30th |
