Ordinal numbers
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This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. This is a download from BBC Learning English. To find out more, visit our website. Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary with me, Catherine. And me, Neil. And today we're talking about ordinal numbers. Yeah, so numbers like first, second and third.

So let's start by listening to Lawrence. He's talking about his 18th birthday party. While you listen, try to answer this question. What date was his party? Here's Lawrence.

For my 18th birthday last year, I invited about 60 friends and relatives. It was on the 25th of May and it was the first time that I ever had a big party. It was in a restaurant on the third floor of a hotel. The food was really delicious and I won second prize in the dancing competition. BELL RINGS

So, we asked you what date was Lawrence's birthday party? And the answer is the 25th of May. That's right. Now, the 25th is an ordinal number like the first and the second. Ordinal numbers tell us the position of something in a group –

The dates in a month, for example. Or which birthday it is. Lawrence said it was his 18th birthday. Yes, he did. Lucky him! And ordinal numbers are different to cardinal numbers. We use cardinal numbers like 1, 2, 3 for counting and to answer the question how many. And to make a cardinal number into an ordinal number, add the letters th to the end of the cardinal number.

18, 18th, 60, 60th. And that works for all the cardinal numbers except for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. They're irregular. But for all the others, it's add th. So that's 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th,

So that's good, but in writing we do have a couple of irregular spellings such as fifth... F-I-F-T-H. Eighth... E-I-G-H-T-H.

Ninth. N-I-N-T-H. Twelfth. T-W-E-L-F-T-H. And for numbers ending in Y, like 60, drop the Y and add I-E and T-H to make 60th. S-I-X-T-I-E-T-H. Now let's look more closely at dates. Listen for the date in this clip.

It was on the 25th of May and it was the first time that I ever had a big party. The 25th of May. When we say the day before the month, we always use the words 'the' and 'of'. The 25th of May.

But when we say the month before the day, we don't use the word of. It's just May the 25th. We often use the word the with ordinal numbers, but we can also use possessives. In this next clip, Lawrence uses the possessive adjective my before 18th. For my 18th birthday last year, I invited about 60 friends and relatives. Let's have another clip.

It was in a restaurant on the third floor of a hotel. The food was really delicious and I won second prize in the dancing competition. So now we have two more ways of using ordinal numbers – space and

And quality. Yes, we do. And the third flaw tells us about the position of the flaws in space. It's the same as when we give directions. For example, take the second left after the traffic lights. And second prize tells us about the quality. And a point to make here is that ordinal numbers can be used as adjectives and adverbs without the. Like in the phrase, he won second prize. Second is an adjective –

Six Minute Vocabulary. From BBC Learning English. And now it's quiz time. Number one. Which of these is correct? The parties on... And it's C, the 30th of July. Great. Now, number two.

Which word in this list is wrong first, second, third, forward, fifth?

And the answer's 'ford'. It should be 'for'. Yes, it should. Number three. Which of these is correct? a My 21st birthday. b My the 21st birthday. c The my 21st birthday. And the answer's a My 21st birthday. Well done if you got them right.

But before we go, here's a vocabulary tip. Try saying your own important and memorable dates in English. For example, birthdays, anniversaries and festivals. If the dates are important, you're more likely to remember the English. There's more about this at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again soon for more 6 Minute Vocabulary. Bye!

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