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i If the noun is singular but represents a group of people, the verb is singular in American English but in British English it may be singular or plural:
► Three quarters/75% of the workforce is/are against the strike.
If the noun is plural, the verb is plural:
► Two thirds/65% of children play computer games.
Nil
used to talk about the score in a team game, for example in football:
►• The final score was one nil. (l-o)
■ used to mean'nothing at all': ► The doctors rated her chances as nil.
Telephone numbers
Decimals
■
: I
■ write and say with a point (.) (not a comma)
■ say eachfigure after the point separately: 79.3 seventy-nine point three
3.142 three point one four two 0.67 {zero) point six seven.
(BrE also) nought point six seven
Mathematical expressions
+ plus
minus
x times/multiplied by
- divided by
= equals/is
% per cent [NAmE usually percent)
32 three squared
S3 five cubed
610 six to the power of ten
/ square root of
The figure '0'
The figure 0 has several different names in English, although in American English zero is commonly used in all cases:
Zero
■ used in precise scientific, medical and economic contexts and to talk about temperature:
It was ten degrees below zero last night.
► zeroinflation/growth/profit
Nought
■ used in British English to talk about a number, age, etc.:
► A million is written with six noughts.
► The cargoes from nought to sixty in ten seconds.
► clothes for children aged nought to six
V /so/ NAmE /OlV
■ used when saying a bank account number, telephone number, etc.
a All numbers are said separately. 0 is pronounced /au/ {BrE) or /ou/ {NAmE): ► (01865)556767 o one eight six five, five five six seven six seven (or dou&le five six seven six seven)
Writing and saying dates British English
>• 14 October 1998 or 14th October 1998
(14/10/98) r- Her birthday is on theninth of December. *■ Her birthday is on December the ninth.
American English
>■ October14,1998 (10/14/98) ►- Her birthday is December 9th.
Years
1999
Temperature
■ The Celsius or Centigrade (°C) scale is officially used in Britain and for scientific purposes in the US:
>■ a high of thirty-five degrees Celsius
► The normal temperature of the human bodyis37°C.
■ The Fahrenheit (°F) scale is used in all other contexts in the US and is also still commonly used in Britain. The words 'degrees Fahrenheit/Centigrade/Celsius' are oftenomitted:
► Temperatures soared to over a hundred, (100°F)
► She's ill in bed with a temperature of a hundredandtwo. (102"F)
Money
In Britain
* 100 pence/p = 1 British pound (£1) ► It costs 90p/9Opence return on the bus.
m when talking about an individual coin: a twenty pence piece/a twenty p piece
■ whentalkingaboutpoundsandpence people often only say the numbers:
It only cost five ninety nine. (£5.99)
■ in informal British English: £1    a quid
£5   five quid or a fiver £10  ten quid or a tenner
In the US
1c       one cent a penny
5c      five cents a nickel
10c     ten cents adirne 25c     twenty-five cents    a quarter $1.00   one dollar a dollar bill
■ in informal American English dollars are called bucks:
► This shirt cost fifty bucks.
1608
1700 2000 2002 2015
nineteen ninety-nine sixteen o eight (or, less commonly, nineteen hundred and ninety-nine andstoeen hundred and eight) seventeen hundred (theyear) two thousand two thousand and two twentyfifteen
AD 76 / A.D. 76       AD seventy-six
76CE/76C.E.        seventy-six CE
(Both these expressions mean '76 years after the
beginning of the Christian calendar*.)
1000 BC/1000 B.C. onethousandBC
1000 BCE / 1000 B.C.E one thousandBCE
(Both these expressions mean '1000 years before
the beginning of the Christian calendar'.)
Age
■ when saying a person's age use only numbers: >• Sue is fen and Tom is six.
». She left home at sixteen, m aman/woman/boy/girl, etc. of...
► They've got a girl of three and a boy of five.
► ayoungwomanofnineteen
m in writing, in descriptions or to emphasize sb's age use... years old:
► She was thirty-one years old and a barrister by profession.
► He is described as white, 5ft 10 ins tall and about 50years old,
►.Vou're forty years old - stop behaving like a teenager!
u ...years old is also used for things: The monument is 120years old.
■ Yon can also say a ...year-old/month-old/ week-old, etc.:
► Youth training is available to all sixteen year-olds.
t- atenweek-oldbaby
* aremarkable 1000year-old tomb
■ Use ...years of age in formal or written contexts:
► Not applicable topersons under eighteen years of age
■ Use the... age group to talk about people between certain ages:
► He tookfirst prize in the 10-16 age group.
m To give the approximate age of a person: 13-19 in his/her teens 21-29 in his/her twenties 31-33 in his/her early thirties 34-36 in his/her mid thirties 37-39 inhis/herlate thirties ■ ■ To refer to a particular event you can use at/by/hefore, etc. the age of ... Most smokers start smoking cigarettes before the age of sixteen.
• '
Numbers in time
There is often more than one way of telling the time:
Rf>5
e
E
3 Z
Half hours
6:30   six thirty
half:past six (BrE) half six (BrE informal)
Other times
5:45 five forty-five (a) quarter to six (BrE)
(a) quarter to/of six (NAmE) 2:15   two fifteen     (a) quarter past two (BrE)
(a) quarter after two(NAmE) 1:10   one ten ten past one (BrE)
ten after one (NAmE) 3:05   threeofive    five past three (BrE)
five after three (NAmE) 1:55   one fifty-five five to two (BrE)
five to/of two (NAmE) m with 5,10,20 and 25 the word minutes is not necessary, but it is used with other numbers: 10.25 twenty-five past/after ten 10.17 seventeen m/'nufesposf/a/terten
■ use o'clock only for whole hours:
► It's three o'clock.
m If it is necessary to specify the time of day use in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening or at night.
■ in more formal contexts use:
a.m. = in the morning or after midnight p.m. s» in the afternoon, in the evening or before midnight
► Hegetsupat4a.m. to deliver the mail.
Do not use o'clock with a.m. or p.m.:
► He gets up at 1 o'clock a.m.
► Hegets up at 4o 'clock in the morning. » Illsccyouat6o'clockp.m,
► rilseeyou at 6 o'clock this evening.