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Hundreds and thousandsWith round numbers between 1,100 and 1,900 they often say ‘eleven hundred, twelve hundred’, etc. instead of ‘one thousand and hundred’, etc.
The reading of 0 (nought, zero, nil, o, love) The figure 0 is normally read nought [no:t] in Br.E., and zero [zi-erou] in Am.E. It is replaced, in general use, by the negative determiner noor the pronoun none: There were no survivors from the air disaster. None of the passengers or crew survived.
In measurements (e.g., of temperature), 0 is called zero: It’s five degrees below zero. It’s 0° F (read: zero degrees Fahrenheit). -8° C (read: eight degrees below zero Centigrade). When numbers are said figure by figure (e.g., in telephone numbers), 0 is often called [ou] (like the letter o): My account number is 41326069 (read: four one three two six o six nine).
Nil [nil] or nothing is used in football or other team-games: Brazil won 4 – 0 (read: four nil/ (to) nothing). Manchester three, Liverpool nil. Love is used in tennis and similar games. (This expression is derived from the French l’oeuf, meaning ‘the egg’, presumably because zero is egg-shaped (0): 5 – 0, your service; (read: five – love).
The year: When reading or speaking the word hundred may be used but thousand is usually not: He was born in 1957 (nineteen fifty-seven, or nineteen hundred and fifty-seven). Years before the Christian era are followed by the letters B.C. (= before Christ). Years after the Christian era may be followed by the letters A.D. (= Anno Domini [Lat.: in the year of our Lord]): 1500 B.C. = fifteen hundred B.C. (in this case it is also possible to say one thousand five hundred B.C) The days and months: Though the days and months may be written in different ways: He was born on 5 May May 5 5th May 5th of May May 5th (mostly AmE), when reading or speaking they use ordinal numerals, so they say: He was born on May the fifth or the fifth of May Telling the time Times of the clock are read out in full as follows: At 5 at five (o’clock) At 5.15 at five fifteen, at a quarter past five, at a quarter after five (AmE) At 5.30 at five thirty, at half past five At 5.45 at five forty-five, at a quarter to six, at a quarter of six (AmE) At 5.50 at five fifty, at ten (minutes) to six At 6.10 at ten (minutes) past six, at ten minutes after six (AmE); at six ten can be used when one is referring e.g. to a timetable. Fractions Fractions are read out in full as follows: Simple fractions are expressed by using ordinal numbers (third/s, fourth/s, fifth/s, etc.): 1/2 (a) half They stayed (for) a half hour / half an hour
1/10 a/one tenth a tenth of the population 3/4 three quarters three quaters of an hour 2/3 two-thirdstwo thirdsof the population 11/2 one and a half one and a half hours or an hour and a half 31/5 three and a/one fifth three and a fifth inches NOTE: a)the expression one and a half takes a plural noun (e.g. one and a half kilometers); b)expressions like ¾ hour, 7/10 mile are said ‘three quarters ofan hour, seven tenthsofa mile’.
More complex fractions are often expressed by using the word over: 317/509 – three hundred and seventeen over five hundred and nine.
Decimals are read out in full, with each figure separate. NOTE:they use a full stop (called ‘point’), not a comma, before the fraction: 2.5 – two point five 3.14 – three point one four (three point fourteen) 0.78 – point seventy-eight (point seven eight) or nought point seventy-eight (US: zero point seventy-eight) Date: 2015-12-11; view: 844
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The reading of dates
1/4 a quarter They stayed (for) a quater of an hour