Generalities on NUMERALS
-They come before an adjective that modifies a noun: We’ve spentfive fine days in the mountains.
-the number ‘0’ is pronounced:
1. nought when used in arithmetical quantity, signs, values
2. zero in degree and measuring instruments
3. 0 in telephone numbers, digit by digit
4.nil/nothing in sports: two-nil/to nothing
- the Cardinal number takes the plural when used like nouns: in hundreds, in his early thirties, in her teens, your 4’s, three nines and in stock expressions: dressed up to the nines (smartly), to be at sixes and sevens (confused), to be on all fours.
- in different expressions such asto be ten times better, to talk nineteen to the dozen, to have his forty winks, the hundred and one thorny problems, a thousand and one things to look after, a thousand thanks to, until two or three years ago (a few), once or twice (a little),, some thirty years ago, the next two years, the 30 or so questions
- The Ordinal numeral- e.g.: He scored four times in a row./ He wastes half of his time (fraction)
-it is used in expressions denoting uncertainty: after the twenty-somethingth attempt I’ve decided to give up./ The nth term …/ For the umpteenth time…
- in idiomatic expressions: in the seventh heaven, third party, sixth sense, second sight
- Fractions are used in expressions: half naked/baked, not a quarter as good as it should be, two and a half.
-Collective numerals: couple, pair, score, dozen, brace
-Multiplicative (tenfold, triple, single, double ) /Distributive numbers (equal groups: by tens, one at a time, in twos/in tens, by the dozen- Let’s solve the problems one at a time.
- Expressions: to talk nineteen to the dozen
Dressed up to the nines
Go on all fours
Be at sixes and sevens
A hundred and one things
Some thirty years ago
At the eleventh hour
Myriads of
On the wrong side of fifty/the clock
Twenty or so questions
-Concord with the verb: in terms of measurement, it takes the singular- Four years has seemed a long time. Thirty dollars was paid for this.
-In arithmetical statements: Two times two is four./ Four from six leaves two
Exercises on Numerals (Mihai Zdrenghea, Anca Greere, A Practical English Grammar (with exercises), Cluj, Clusium, 1997):
REVISION P.240 / THE NUMERAL
Fill in the blanks:
1. Two meters of this material ...... not enough for a skirt. (is, are)
2. Here ....one hundred shillings. I counted them. (is, are)
3. Six or seven o’clock ...... a good time to start the day. (is, are)
4. Six hundred pounds a month ...not keep body and soul together. (do, does)
5. Half of the goods ...... been damaged. (has, have)
REVISION P.241 / THE NUMERAL
twice a week/month, four times a year, in tens, the fifties, by the dozen, half a dozen, two and a half kilometres, on the twelfth of, the first two, act 3
Translate into English using the expressions above:
1. Semestrul acesta am avut curs de literaturã englezã de douã ori pe sãptãmânã: o datã literatura secolului XIX si a doua oarã curs special unde am putut opta pentru diverse teme.
2. Când am lichidat biblioteca catedrei am predat cãrtile bibliotecii facultãtii când câte zece când câte douazeci.
3. Anii cincizeci au fost ani grei pentru economia noastrã.
4. Câte milioane de locuitori are România dupã ultimul recensãmânt, 22 de milioane?
5. N-am cumpãrat ouã pentru cã se vindeau câte o duzinã si eu aveam nevoie doar de trei.
6. Rezultatul acelei împãrtiri complicate a fost de 17,233.
7. Pentru rochia ei de searã Ann a cumpãrat 3,25 metri de material si o jumãtate de duzinã de nasturi.
8. Copilul mâncã încet ambele jumãtãti de mãr.
9. Excursionistii au fãcut un popas de o jumãtate de orã înainte de a continua drumul spre satul care se afla la o distantã de sapte kilometri si jumãtate.
10. Am intrat în vacantã în doisprezece ale lunii.
11. Mi s-a spus cã un al doilea raport, mai detaliat, despre descoperirea din ziua aceea ar fi binevenit.
12. La primirea premiilor el a fost al o sutãoptsprezecelea pe listã.
13. Azi a vizitat expozitia al o mie o sutã treizecisiunulea vizitator.
14. Dintre cele cinci povesti pe care i le-am spus, copilului i-au plãcut foarte mult primele douã si mã tot ruga sã i le repet.
15. Noul actor a apãrut în actul trei al piesei, scena 4.
16. Cele povestite de tine cred cã s-au întâmplat în timpul Papei Alexandru, care a fost al saselea Borgia.
17. Am retinut douã bilete de clasa a doua la acceleratul de 1.27 Cluj-Bucuresti.
18. Pânã mâine trebuie sã corectez câteva zeci de teste, cam zece din ele apartin unor studenti buni, deci sunt usor de corectat.
19. Acest al doilea exercitiu este de douã ori mai lung decît primul.
20. Poate un elev din clasa a cincea sã spunã câte mii sunt în trei milioane?
REVISION P.242-1 / THE NUMERAL
Translate into Romanian:
1. “What time shall we meet?” “Nineish or tennish, I don’t know yet”.
2. Thousands upon thousands agree to the conclusions of the Committee regarding future development.
3. She began working in that office some six years back and elbowed her way to the top.
4. Roughly five of the guests knew the piece of music all were speaking about.
5 “How much did these two volumes cost?” “I can’t remember exactly: something like forty-five dollars.”
6. My little daughter has been at the kindergarten for three months and she has already learned a couple of dozen of poems and songs.
7. Mary paid for her furcoat twelve thousand odd, but Lucy paid for hers ten odd thousand.
8. That will cost her something about six pounds.
9. Myriads of stars had appeared in the sky.
10. They were selling apples in printer’s dozens.
11. When working the field, the peasant used a span of horses or two span of oxen.
12. The hunter finally succeeded to shoot two brace of ducks.
13. She is on the wrong side of fifty
REVISION P.242-2 / THE NUMERAL
by the hundreds, by the thousands, first, secondly, over forty, tens of, a thousand and one, an hour and forty minutes, thousands of, more than half an hour
Translate into English using the expressions above whenever necessary:
1. Acesta este singurul Van Gogh în colectia mea.
2. În clasa a patra elevii învatã sã numere cu sutele si cu miile.
3. Când mi-a plãtit cartea n-am numãrat banii si doar ajungând acasã mi-am dat seama cã mi-a dat cu cinci sute de lei mai putin.
4. Când mi-a dat numãrul de telefon al Elenei mi-a spus cu o cifrã mai mult pentru un numãr de telefon din Londra.
5. I-am admirat rochia, dar mi-a rãspuns cã este o rochie de toate zilele.
6. Fiul meu s-a bucurat mult când i-am fãcut cadou traducerea lui Galland din “O mie si una de nopti”.
7. Operatia a durat o orã si patruzeci de minute.
8. Fãcând operatiile aritmetice a gresit la rezultatul final cu 2,47.
9. Editura “Ion Creangã” a reeditat în 1993 “Basmele” lui Mihai Eminescu, un volum costând doar 850 lei.
10. Cartea despre “Istoria artelor plastice” pe care am cumpãrat-o la Londra m-a costat cinsprezece lire si saizeci de penny.
11. Mi-ai adus atât de repede cursul cerut, mii de multumiri.
12. Nu te-am vãzut de atâta timp si am o mie si unu de lucruri sã-si spun.
13. Ti-am spus de zeci de ori sã nu faci asta si continui totusi sã fii neascultãtor.
14. Se tine foarte bine; desi are saptezeci de ani nu pare unul trecut de cinzeci si cinci.
15. Desi mi-a promis cã mã primeste imediat, m-a fãcut sã astept mai mult de o jumãtate de orã.
16. Corul era alcãtuit din fete de opt si peste opt ani.
17. În S.U.A. sunt mai multe orase cu peste douã milioane de locuitori.
18. Aceast film este permis tinerilor de peste optsprezece ani.
19. Iatã ce trebuie sã faci: în primul rând, sã-i alegi drumul pe care vrei sã-l urmezi, în al doilea rând, cautã sã ai cât mai mult discernãmânt în tot ce faci.
REVISION P.243 / THE NUMERAL
Rewrite in letters the numbers that appear in the text. When they appear in brackets put in the correct form.
1. We shall meet at 7.45 unless, you have other plans.
2. 0.435 was the result of that problem.
3. 12,345 x 3.46 -Ö4 + .5= 42716.7
4. The tomatoes cost $2.15 per kilo.
5. What date is it today? It is 3/12/93.
6. Look at Martin! He is sitting in the (3) row the (5) bank.
7. I tried it (2), I tried it (3) I tried it several times and still I couldn’t do it.
8. The concert was supposed to start at exactly 14.25 but it actually began at 14.30.
9. He walked 1.5 miles and had 2.25 still to go.
10. They worked in (groups of ten).
11. The book had (around 300 pages).
12. How do you cook this? (1) you take 1/3 kilo sugar, (2) you take (2) eggs, (3) you take about 2,3 spoonfuls of flour...