Fractional numbers in English. Names of simple and decimal fractions in English - Common and decimal fractions

It happens that when we see a fraction in a text or article, we don’t know how to read it correctly. And if you are planning to study business English and use it in your professional activities, then you should not doubt the correctness of the data you provided. Yes and in everyday life You can't do without fractions. In this article we will study the rules for reading different types of fractional numbers in English, remembering which, you will always be sure that you are speaking correctly.

There are two types of fractions: common fractions, which are written with a dash (common fractions or simple fractions) and decimals, which have a dot (decimals).

Common fractions

Reading simple fractions is quite easy, and is very similar to how we read them in Russian. A common fraction has two components: a numerator (the number above the line) and a denominator (the number below the line). The top number (numerator) is read as cardinal number(How many?), and the lower number (denominator) is like an ordinal number (What is the order?). In this case, the numerator one can be read as the article a:

1/3 - one third/ a third
1/7 - one seventh/ a seventh
1/9- one ninth/ a ninth

If the numerator is greater than one, then the denominator takes on a plural ending:

2/3 - two thirds
3/5 - three fifths

Remember that half when reading fractions is half , and a quarter can be read as (a/one) quarter or (a/one) fourth:

1/2 - one half / a half NOT one second
1/4 - one quarter / a quarter / one fourth
3/4 - three quarters / three fourths

If a fraction contains an integer ( wholesale), then it is associated with the fraction using the word and:

1 1/2 - one and a half
3 2/3 - three and two thirds
2 1/4 - two and a quarter / two and a forth

Reading decimals

First of all, it is important to remember that English decimals use a period, not a comma. In English decimal fractions we do not say the words: tenths, hundredths, thousandths, but simply name the numbers. And when reading decimal fractions, the word point is said and each digit is called separately:

2.25 - two point twenty five
1.4 - one point four
6.785 - six point seven eight five

If there is no integer, but there are numbers only after the dot, then they say thought or zero(in American English), or even omit the zero in both speech and writing:

0.2 - thought (zero) point two/ point two
0.75 - thought (zero) point seven five / point seven five
0.03 - nought (zero) point nought three / point nought three

Interest

Often percentages are indicated in decimal fractions: per cent (percent AmE). The word per cent is used in singular:

2.2% - two point two per cent
3.5% - three point five per cent
50% - fifty per cent
99% - ninety-nine per cent

The use of the word percents is possible only in relation to the school topic “Percents”, but cannot be used with specific numbers.

We need fractional numerals to denote non-integer quantities, that is, the number of certain (second, fifth, tenth) parts of a unit.

In English fractional numbers are read differently depending on whether they are decimal or prime.

Let us remind you that decimal fractions include fractions with a comma (in the English version - with a dot), and simple fractions include those containing a fractional line (¾, ⅚).

Decimals

These fractions are easy to read in English: we simply name all the characters in order. If there is a leading zero, it can be omitted in colloquial speech. If you do decide to pronounce it, do not forget about the difference between American and British English: in the first version, “zero” is read as “nought”, in the second - “zero”. If there are zeros after the dot, then they can be read as “o” [əu]. Here are some examples of fractions in English:

• 0.4—nought point four / point four
• 0.02 — point thought two / point thought two / point o two
• 0.34—nought point three four / point three four
• 1.11 — one point one one 12.842 — one two point eight four two
• 66.6 - six six point six
• 999.209 — nine nine nine point two thought nine / nine nine nine point two o nine

Ordinal fractions

The formation of these fractions is somewhat more complicated. There are two rules for simple fractions:

1. The numerator is read as a cardinal number (one, two, three), and the denominator as an ordinal number (first, second, third).
2. If the numerator is greater than one, the ending -s is added to the denominator.

If a fraction has an integer part, then it is added to the fractional part using and. Examples:

• ⅓ – one third / a third
• ⅗ - three fifths
• ⅛ - one eighth /an eighth
• ⅞ – seven eighths
• 1⅔ - one and two thirds
• 9¾ – nine and three fourths / nine and three quarters
• 5½ - five and a half

As for percentages, as in Russian, they are denoted by the symbol % (per cent):

• 17% - seventeen per cent
• 1⅛% - one and one eighth per cent / one and an eighth per cent
• 2.02% — two point two per cent / two point o two per cent

Fractional numbers - Fractional numbers

Fractional numbers are a type of cardinal numerals and denote fractional numbers.

Using fractional numbers in English

1. In ordinary fractions, the numerator is a cardinal number, and the denominator is an ordinal number.
1/5 - one fifth
If the numerator is greater than one, then the denominator -s is added to the denominator.
3/5 - three fifths
4/9 - four ninths
2. If a fraction is presented in decimal form, then a dot is placed after the whole number, and not a comma, as in Russian. In this form, each number is read separately (sometimes together). Zero is read as nought, and in the American version zero [?z??r??]. The dot is read point .
5.76 - five point seven six (five point seventy-six) five point seven hundredths
3.47 - three point four seven (three point forty-seven) three point forty-seven hundredths
0.11 - nougth (zero) point one one (nought (zero) point eleven) eleven hundredths
If the numeral is presented in the form of an ordinary fraction, then the conjunction and (and) is used instead of point.
3 5/8 - three and five eighths
3. If there is a noun after a fractional number, then it is used in the singular, and when reading, the preposition of is placed before it.
0.58 quintal - nought (zero) point fifty-eight of quintal fifty-eight hundredths of a hundredweight
But if a number consists of an integer and a fractional part, then the noun that follows it is used in the plural and is read without the preposition of.
32.41 kilometers - thirty-two (three two) point forty-one (four one) kilometers thirty-two point forty-one kilometers
26 1/4 kilograms - twenty-six (two six) and one fourth kilograms
4. When using numerals in telephone numbers, each digit is read separately, and the word o [??] is used for zero (in the American version zero [?z??r??]).
591-390-706 - five nine one three nine o (zero) seven o (zero) six

A deeper and more advanced level of language learning is to use in speech not only standard lexical structures and phrases, but also specific terms. This includes fractions in English, since these structures often cause complexity. As a rule, the numbers themselves in these numerals are familiar to the speaker, but the principles of reading here will be special, and it is important to follow these norms in order to correctly pronounce such constructions. Therefore, it is important to consider what types of fractional numbers there are in the English language, to give their varieties and reading features.

Main Features

As in Russian, the purpose of English fractional numbers is to show a part of a number, and not its whole value. These structures are relevant not only in mathematics, but also in everyday life, so you need to remember the rules for the formation of such structures once and for all.

By type, fractional numbers in English are of two types: common fractions and decimal fractions. The peculiarities of the formation and pronunciation of each type should be discussed in more detail.

Common fractions

Simple fractions are those that consist of a numerator and a denominator. Examples of them are quite common, so it is important to know how they are read.

The numerator will be read as a cardinal number, and the denominator as an ordinal number. But there are several nuances here. Firstly, if the numerator is greater than one, then the ending –s is added to the denominator in the form ordinal numeral. Secondly, it is customary to write both parts with a hyphen:

· 3/5 – three-fifths;
· 2/7 – two-sevenths;
· 5/8 – five-eighths, etc.

Also, a whole number can be added to such a fraction, which will be read normally. It would not be out of place to add that displays using the words half (“half”) and quarter (“quarter”) are also often encountered:

· 2 ½ – two and a half;
· 3 ¼ – three and a quarter, etc.

Decimal fractions

There are also special rules how decimals are pronounced in English. These include those that are usually separated by a comma in Russian, and by a period in English. The word “point” itself sounds like point, and main feature is that all numerals before and after the point are pronounced separately, that is, without such structures as “hundredths”, “thousandths”, etc.

In the event that such a fraction begins with zero (there are two variants of this word: zero (Am.) and nought (Br.)), the word “zero” itself may not be pronounced, and the entire structure will begin with the word point. Here are some examples:

· 0.783 – point seven eight three;
· 2.39 – two point three nine;
· 35.17 – three five point one seven, etc.

Having studied the above rules, it will not be difficult to figure out how to read fractions in English. It is necessary to pay attention to some specific cases of pronunciation and note the differences with the Russian language, so as not to make mistakes and not form both types of fractions by analogy with Russian.