Appositives

An appositive is a noun that restates another noun in new or different words.

Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president, ended the Civil War.
My best friend, Ray, works downtown.

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An appositive must refer to the noun it precedes or follows.

A talented singer, they hired Susan Alexander to perform in the opera.
To correct a misplaced appositive, move it nearer to the noun or rewrite the sentence.
They hired Susan Alexander, a talented singer, to perform in the opera.
A talented singer, Susan Alexander, was hired to perform in the opera.

Exercises
Write the plural form of each word.
1. cheeseburger ___________________
2. sandwich ___________________
3. party ___________________
4. cowboy ___________________
5. wife ___________________
6. room ___________________
7. tomato ___________________
8. match ___________________
9. orange ___________________
10. foot ___________________
11. mouse ___________________
12. box ___________________
13. glass ___________________
14. zoo ___________________
15. apple ___________________
16. man ___________________
17. roof ___________________
18. tooth ___________________
19. video ___________________
20. life ___________________

Complete the sentences by using some and the noun in parentheses. Make the countable nouns
plural.
1. ___________________ (child) are playing baseball in the park.
2. Do you want ___________________ (milk) with your sandwich?
3. I bought ___________________ (orange) at the fruit market this morning.
4. There are ___________________ (towel) in the closet.
5. Let’s serve ___________________ (cheese) at the party.
6. I think that the post office just delivered ___________________ (box) for you.
7. Next summer, I want to plant ___________________ (flower) in front of the house.
8. Every day, I get ___________________ (bill) in the mail.
9. The doctor said that Tracy needs to get ___________________ (exercise) every day.
10. The teacher gave the class ___________________ (homework) last night.

Complete the shopping list. Choose an appropriate word to complete the sentence, making the
word plural if necessary. If the noun in the shopping list is a countable noun, make it
plural.

1. One _____________ of cornflake ________

2. Three _____________ of water ________
3. One _____________ of candy ________
4. One _____________ of barbecue potato chip ________
5. Three _____________ of bread ________
 6. One _____________ of cookie ________

Write the possessive form of the word in parentheses.

1. I believe that this is _____________ (Anne) book.
2. Where is the _____________ (women) restroom?
3. Let’s paint the _____________ (boys) bedroom this weekend.
4. Please meet me in the _____________ (teachers) lounge at 11:00.
5. We are invited to _____________ (Tony) house for a picnic.

How do you pronounce the plural ending? Write /s/, /z/, or /az/ on the line.
1. girls ________
2. cats ________
3. pencils ________
4. potatoes ________
5. bottles ________
6. quizzes ________
7. cups ________
8. books ________
9. glasses ________
10. shelves ________

Complete the questions by writing How much, How many, or Whose on the line.
1. ___________________ people work in your office?
2. ___________________ apples do you want?
3. ___________________ fried chicken should we order?
4. ___________________ cars were in the accident?
5. ___________________ money does it cost?
6. ___________________ books are on the kitchen table, John’s or Laura’s?
7. ___________________ water should we buy?
8. ___________________ chair is this?
 NUMBERS

Cardinal Numbers

Decimals and Fractions

Ordinal Numbers

Writing and Saying Cardinal Numbers

We use cardinal numbers to count. Most numbers are written in the same way around the world.

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There are two differences in how North Americans and Europeans write numbers:

North Americans write 1 with a single stroke. In Europe and many other places, this number
has an additional stroke.

In Europe and other places, people write the number 7 with an additional stroke. North
Americans do not use this additional stroke.

Do not use extra strokes with the numbers 1 and 7 in North America.

North America: 1 7

Europe and other parts of the world:

Zero
For the number zero, people say “zero” or “oh.” In ordinary speech, people usually say “oh” for
zero.

Odd and Even Numbers

Odd numbers are numbers that cannot be divided evenly by two. Even numbers can be divided
evenly by two.

So when an English speaker mentions an odd number, he or she doesn’t mean the number is
strange or unusual. The person means that the number can’t be divided evenly by two.

Dozen
Dozen means “twelve.” Baker’s dozen means “thirteen.” This comes from a common practice of
bakers giving a free item when the customer buys twelve. English speakers often use dozen to
describe an approximate number.

Dozens of people were inconvenienced when the bus broke down.

Tens and Teens

To clearly say numbers such as thirteen and thirty, stress the last syllable of numbers ending in -
teen (such as thirteen), but stress the first syllable of numbers ending in -ty (such as thirty).

In general, we say numbers in groups of hundreds, tens, and ones.

We can shorten numbers from 101–999 by leaving off the word hundred.

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Do not use and before the last word of a number.

Using Numbers and Number Words
In informal writing, such as notes and e-mails, use numbers for all numbers. In formal writing,
such as reports for school or business letters, use number words for numbers you can write in one
or two words. Use numbers for larger or more complicated numbers.

This table shows when to use numbers or number words in more formal kinds of writing:

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In formal writing, always use number words when a number is first in a sentence. If the
number is very long, rewrite the sentence so the number is not at the beginning of the sentence.

Writing and Saying Larger Numbers

Say longer numbers in groups of ten thousands, thousands, hundreds, and so on. When you write
longer numbers, use commas to separate groups of three numbers.

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Do not use a period to separate groups of numbers in a larger number—use a comma.

The largest numbers frequently used in everyday speech are million (1,000,000) and billion
(1,000,000,000). A millionaire is a person who has at least a million dollars. A billionaire has at
least a billion dollars. Larger numbers, such as trillion (1,000,000,000,000), are rarely used.
 AVOID THE

You may hear English speakers use words such as zillion or gazillion to refer to very large
numbers or amounts. These words express a large quantity or number, but they are not actual
numbers. Do not use these numbers in formal speech or writing.

Write and say very large approximate numbers this way:

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Do not make the words million and billion plural when they are accompanied by a number.

You can use millions and billions when they are not accompanied by a specific number:

Each year, millions of people visit Disney World.

McDonald’s has served billions of hamburgers worldwide over the years.

Decimals and Fractions

We use decimals and fractions for numbers smaller than one and greater than zero.

Follow these rules for writing and saying decimals and fractions:

When saying numbers with a fraction, we say and before the fraction.

You see:
You say: two and three-fourths

When a number includes the fraction , we say a or one.

You see:
 You say: five and a half or five and one-half

For decimals (except money), we can use and or the word point.

You see: 2.2

You say: two and two-tenths or two point two

For numbers less than one, we can say point or omit it. We can also say oh (for zero) or omit it.

You see: 0.3

You say: oh point three, point three, or three-tenths

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When writing decimal fractions, use a decimal point (.), not a comma.

Amounts of Money
In general, people say amounts of money in groups indicating dollars and cents. Join the dollars
and cents groups with and.

However, people sometimes leave off the words dollars and cents and some of the number
words, especially when it’s clear they are talking about money.

When the amount of cents is less than ten, we can say the number of cents in two ways:

Twenty-nine dollars and three cents

Twenty-nine oh three

The value of U.S. coins in numbers does not appear on all coins. U.S. coins have special names,
but they appear only on some coins. The size of a coin does not indicate relative value, either.
Nickels are bigger than dimes, but they are worth less. Dimes are slightly smaller than pennies,
but they are worth more. The following table gives the value of each coin:
In everyday speech, a popular slang expression for dollar is buck. People use this word in
friendly, casual conversation.

Hey, you owe me five bucks for lunch!

I just won fifty bucks in the lottery! Let’s go out for pizza!

Telephone Numbers
In general, people say telephone numbers as single numbers, with a very short pause after each
group of numbers,

Phone numbers with many zeros may be pronounced differently, especially if the number is for a
large company.

Addresses
In general, people say addresses as follows:

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In street addresses, write the building number before the street name, not after it. Do not use a
comma between the building number and street name.
Time
In general, you can spell out the time in whole hours (e.g., five o’clock) or use numbers (5:00)
when you are writing sentences. Write the time in numbers when you want to emphasize a specific
time.

I always get up at 5 o’clock in the morning.

I always get up at five o’clock in the morning.
The first bus leaves at 5:41 in the morning.

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When we state in a sentence the time of an appointment or a departure, we use at, not to.

In date books and schedules, always write the time in numbers.

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY
9:30 Dentist
10:30 Go to bank, post office, and supermarket
12:00 Meet David for lunch

In informal writing, you can express time in whole hours with or without “:00”. If the meaning is
clear, you can also omit o’clock.

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When saying the time written with “:00”, you do not need to say anything for “:00”. Just state
the hour and o’clock if it’s needed for clarity.

You see: 9:00

You say:
Here are some common ways of saying the time:

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O’clock is always written with an apostrophe. It’s a contraction of of the clock, but no one
says the full form.

Use o’clock with the time only when the time is a full hour.

Use A.M. for times from 12:00 midnight to 11:59 in the morning. Use P.M. for times from 12:00
noon to 11:59 at night.
Please be at work at 9:30 A.M. sharp!
The restaurant opens at 11 A.M. and closes at 11 P.M.

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Unlike many countries, the United States does not use a twenty-four-hour system to write the
time. For example, in many parts of the world “4 P.M.” is written “16:00”. Always write the
hours in numbers from 1 to 12, and use A.M. and P.M. to clarify whether the time is before or
after noon.
 You will see the A.M. written with and without periods. Both styles are correct.

Your appointment is at 9:00 AM tomorrow.

Your appointment is at 9:00 A.M. tomorrow.

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Many English speakers confuse 12:00 A.M. (midnight) and 12:00 P.M. (noon).

To tell the difference, remember that we eat lunch in the afternoon (P.M.).

To say approximate times, use about, almost, around, or nearly.

It’s nearly 8 o’clock.

Let’s eat dinner at about 6:00.

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Almost and nearly can be used only after the verb be or the preposition until.

Using Ordinal Numbers

We use ordinal numbers to show order. We usually write ordinal numbers in number words when
we talk about the order of events.

Megan finished first in the marathon.

In casual writing, we can use numbers.

 She won 2nd place in the contest!

Dates
We use a mixture of ordinal and cardinal numbers to write and say dates. Use cardinal numbers to
write the day. Use ordinal numbers to say the day. This table shows how to write and say dates:

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Do not use ordinal numbers to write the date.

When writing the complete date, write:

The month

The day in cardinal numbers

A comma

The year in cardinal numbers

Say years in two groups of numbers.

People say years in the twenty-first century in two ways:

This table shows how to write and say dates:

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In the United States, people do not write the day before the month when writing dates. Take
care to write dates in this order: the month, the day, a comma, and the year.

You can also write the date with slashes and numbers: 7/20/2009. You can leave off the first two
digits of the year, as long as the meaning is clear: 7/20/09.

In the United States, Independence Day is written in words or number words when it refers to the
holiday. To save space, often the ordinal number is used in posters and announcements of holiday
events.

People love to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July.

People love to watch fireworks on the 4th of July.

Centuries
Use ordinal numbers to say centuries.

We live in the twenty-first century.

George W. Bush was elected president at the end of the twentieth century.

Exercises
How do you say the numbers? Write each number in words.

1. 16 children ___________________________________________________

2. 235 Redfield Court _____________________________________________

3. January 15, 2010 ______________________________________________

4. (212)555-1212 _______________________________________________

5. $29.95 ______________________________________________________

6. 14% ________________________________________________________

7. 101.2 _______________________________________________________

8. 17¾ _______________________________________________________
 9. 12:04 A.M. ___________________________________________________

10. 6:00 A.M. _____________________________________________________

Write the sentences correctly.

1. 10% of the workers were absent yesterday.

2. Income tax is due on fifteenth April of each year.

3. My address is 336, Rose Avenue.

4. The total cost for your new car is $26.419,45.

5. Please be at the train station at exactly six-sixteen o’clock in the morning.

6. You need six and three-quarter cups of flour for this bread recipe.

7. Please remember to buy one hundred forty-six new books to use as graduation presents.

8. 5:30 is very early to get up every day.

9. She won 1 prize in the cooking contest.

10. 31 October is the date of Halloween.

 DETERMINERS
Determiners are words that come before adjectives and nouns. They include a/an, some, the, this,
that, these, and those. Determiners tell whether we are talking about a specific noun or a kind of
noun in general.

He wiped the badly cracked windshield with a grimy, old rag.

We cooked some delicious vegetarian fried rice this morning.
That handsome young gentleman is my nephew.
Please put these new wooden chairs with those old reading tables at the other end of the
room.

For more information on the order of words before a noun, see page 103.

A/An
A/An means “one thing or person.” You can use a or an before a singular countable noun.

I just bought a new car.

Mrs. Wallace is a very nice neighbor.
I received a nice birthday present from my sister.
I’d like a double cheeseburger, please.
Look! An elephant!

For more information on countable and uncountable nouns, see page 51.

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Use the after a second reference to the same noun. Do not repeat a.

Use a/an to say what something or someone is.

A Porsche is an expensive car.

A Lhasa Apso is a kind of dog from Tibet.
Morocco is a country in Africa.
 Sue is a professor.

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Do not omit a or an when stating someone’s profession.

Use a or one interchangeably before the numbers hundred, thousand, hundred thousand, million,
and billion when referring to either those exact amounts or a number that is near (approximately)
one of these numbers.

That company lost more than a/one hundred thousand dollars in the stock market yesterday.
That watch costs over a/one thousand dollars.
We need a/one hundred more boxes of cookies for the cookie sale.

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In situations other than numbers such as hundred and so on, do not substitute one for a.

Use one only to give emphasis to the number.

Please bring me one doughnut, not two.

If you give special stress (loudness) to the word one, you can say:

Please bring me one doughnut.

Use a + day to talk about the day.

Today is a beautiful late September day.

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Use one day to talk about an indeterminate day in the past.

Use a to talk about prices by weight, such as per-pound prices.

Cheddar cheese is on sale for $2 a pound.

Bananas are only 33 cents per pound this week.

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Do not use the to talk about prices per pound, ounce, and so on. Use a.

Choosing Between A and An

Follow these rules for choosing between a and an.

In general, use a before a consonant and an before a vowel.

I’d like a salad and a large orange juice, please.

Please give me an apple and an orange.

Use an before a silent initial h. Words with silent h include hour, honor, herb, and honest.

Please be ready to leave in an hour.

It’s an honor to meet you.

Use a before certain vowels that sound like the consonant sound /y/.

He graduated from a university in California.

She is from a European country.

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Another is one word, not two. It means “a different.”