Ordinal Numbers in English: 1 to 20
Ordinal numbers tell us the position of something in a sequence. They are often used to indicate order, rank, or position in a list. In English, ordinal numbers are formed by adding suffixes to cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.).
Here are the ordinal numbers from 1 to 20:
1. First 2. Second 3. Third 4. Fourth 5. Fifth 6. Sixth 7. Seventh 8. Eighth 9. Ninth 10. Tenth 11. Eleventh 12. Twelfth 13. Thirteenth 14. Fourteenth 15. Fifteenth 16. Sixteenth 17. Seventeenth 18. Eighteenth 19. Nineteenth 20. Twentieth
Special Cases:
- First, second, and third are exceptions to the general rule. They don't follow the regular pattern of adding "-th" to the cardinal number.
- For numbers ending in "ty" (like twenty, thirty, forty), you drop the "y" and add "-ieth".
- Twelfth has a unique spelling.
Using Ordinal Numbers:
- Dates: August fifth, 2023
- Ranking: He came in second place in the race.
- Addressing: I live on 10th Street.
- Listing: My third choice is to go to the beach.
Practice:
To practice your understanding, try writing the ordinal numbers for the following numbers:
- 6
- 12
- 19
- 10
- 15
By learning the ordinal numbers, you will be able to communicate more effectively in English.
