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Backlog Analysis: unlearn typical English mistakes

Isn’t it frustrating: it is always the same mistakes that prevent you from getting that better mark in your English tests. How can you unlearn those mistakes?

Don’t try too much at a time. Instead, concentrate on just one typical mistake. Go through the explanations and exercises in your grammar reference or textbook. When reading English texts, look out for that specific grammar aspect.

Our backlog analysis contains 26 typical problems. We show you where on ego4u you'll find relevant explanations, exercises and tips. Take the print out of our analysis and your last English test and consult your English teacher. Look through the test

together and pick out one problem. Write down the category … and start unlearning that problem.

If you’ve unlearned the mistake by the next test, you can tackle the next problem.

What’s the problem?

Click on a topic to see all relevant explanations, exercises and tips, we have on ego4u.

Print Version of our Backlog Analysis (PDF format) (60,33 KiB)

1. Singular and Plural Form of Nouns 2. Article 3. Pronouns 4. some/any and much/many 5. Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers 6. Date and Time 7. Prepositions 8. Comparison of Adjectives 9. Form and Comparison of Adverbs 10. Adjectives and Adverbs 11. Affirmative Sentences (Word Order) 12. Positions of Adverbs 13. Negative Sentences 14. Questions 15. Use of Tenses 16. Form of Tenses 17. Conditional Sentences (if clauses) 18. Auxiliary Verbs 19. Short Answers 20. Phrasal Verbs 21. Infinitive 22. Gerund 23. Participles 24. Relative Clauses 25. Reported Speech 26. Passive Voice

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Backlog Analysis: unlearn typical English mistakes

1. Singular and Plural Forms of Nouns

Check out the following sites to find explanations, exercises and tips on singular and plural forms of nouns.

Explanations Nouns - Plural

Exercises Singular or Plural?

Nouns - Articles, Plural und Possessive Case

Important things to keep in mind when using nouns are which article to use and how to form the plural and how to form the possessive case.

2.Article

Direct article - the

example: the house

Indirect article a / an

a - if the first letter of the following word is pronounced like a consonant

example: a car, a university

an - if the first letter of the following word is pronounced like a vowel

example: an apple, an hour

Plural

general rule: singular form + s

example: a car - two cars

after s, ch, x, z the plural is formed by adding es

example: a box - two boxes

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y after a consonant is changed to ie before the plural s

example: a city - two cities

But: y after a vowel is not changed

example: a boy - two boys

After o the plural is usually formed by adding es (this is not the case, however, with words used for electric gadgets and music: radio, video, disco)

example: a tomato - two tomatoes

Possessive Case of Nouns

adding 's of phrase

usually used for people

usually used for things

Ronny's brother the name of the school

If there is a relation to people when using the possessive case with unanimated things, often the s is added instead of using an of phrase.

example: Germany's economy or the ecomony of Germany

When using the possessive case with a time, s is added.

example: a three week's holiday

Exercise on indirect articles

Exercise on direct articles

Exercise - singular or plural?

Exercise on the possessive case of nouns

Exercise and Answer: - IV

I. Indirect Articles

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Which indirect article is correct?

1. a key 2. a bus 3. an orange 4. an apple 5. a watch 6. an ice-cream 7. an umbrella 8. a university 9. an 8-year-old girl 10. an hour

II.Direct Article

Decide whether you must or must not use the direct article.

1. We went to the cinema. 2. We usually have - dinner at seven o'clock. 3. He plays - tennis very well. 4. Can you play the guitar? 5. This is my last year at - school. 6. Jane loves listening to the radio. 7. They went to London by - plane. 8. We are going to see my cousins on - Sunday. 9. Last night at eight we were watching the news on BBC. 10. That was an important day in - history.

III.Singular or Plural?

Fill the gaps with the correct form of the nouns (singular or plural).

1. They ate some tomatoes . 2. You can put sugar in your tea. 3. We have to buy new furniture . 4. I need to wash my hair . 5. We had lots of fun . 6. The Milfords have a lot of money . 7. How many people were at the cinema with you? 8. Could you give some information on your project? 9. In this hotel, families are very welcome. 10. Those men seem to be very tired.

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IV.Possessive Case

Fill the gaps with the possessive case of nouns. Decide whether you have to use 's or an of phrase.

1. The boy has a toy. → It's the boy's toy . 2. Peter has a book. → It's Peter's book . 3. The magazine has my picture on its cover. → My picture is on

the cover of the magazine . 4. Our friends live in this house. → It's our friends' house

. 5. There is milk in the glass. → It's a glass of milk . 6. This house has a number. → What is the number of this house

? 7. The walk lasts two hours. → It's a two-hours' walk . 8. John has a sister, Jane. → Jane is John's sister . 9. The film has a name, "Scream". → "Scream" is the name of the

film . 10. This school is for girls only. → It's a girls' school .

3. Pronouns

Check out the following sites to find explanations, exercises and tips on pronouns.

Explanations Pronouns (personal, possessive, relative and reflexive pronouns)

Exercises Personal Pronouns - Subject Form Personal Pronouns - Object Form Possessive Adjectives Possessive Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns I Reflexive Pronouns II Relative Pronouns (see relative clauses)

Pronouns (Personal, Possessive, Relative and Reflexive Pronouns)

Webtip: Check your grammar and spelling, analyze entire sentences and enrich your writing with more then 600 letter templates

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Pronouns are words like I, me (personal pronouns) or my, mine

(possessive pronouns).

Personal PronounsPossessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

subject form

object form

possessive adjective

possessive pronoun

I me my mine myself

you you your yours yourself

he him his his himself

she her her hers herself

it it its its itself

we us our ours ourselves

you you your yours yourselves

they them their theirs themselves

Personal Pronouns - Subject Form

example: We have got some books.

Exercise on personal pronouns - subject form

Personal Pronouns - Object Form

example: The books are for us.

Exercise on personal pronouns - object form

Possessive Adjectives

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example: These are our books.

Exercise on possessive adjectives

Possessive Pronouns

example: The books are ours.

Exercise on possessive pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

example: He can carry the bags himself.

Exercise on reflexive pronouns

Exercise on reflexive and reciprocal pronouns

Relative Pronouns

example: This is the man who lives next door.

Exercise on relative pronouns (see relative clauses)

Mixed Exercises

Exercise on personal pronouns and possessive adjectives

Exercise and Answer

Personal Pronouns - Subject

Replace the words in brackets by the correct personal pronouns. Note that Sue is the person speaking. The (*) means that you are asked a question.

1. My name is Sue. I am English. And this is my family. 2. My mum's name is Angie. She is from Germany. 3. Bob is my dad. He is a waiter. 4. On the left you can see Simon. He is my brother. 5. We are twins. 6. Our dog is a girl, Judy. She is two years old. 7. We live in Canterbury. 8. It is not far from London. 9. My grandparents live in London. They often come and see us. 10. What can you tell me about your family?

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Personal Pronouns Object

Aaron was on a business trip to California. He shows you the souvenirs he got for his family.

Fill in the correct pronouns.

1. My sister Jane loves books. This novel is for her. 2. My children like Disney films. The video is for them. 3. My brother Matt collects picture postcards. These postcards

are for him. 4. My parents like Latin music. The CD is for them. 5. I like watches. This nice watch is for me. 6. My wife and I love sweets. These sweets are for us. 7. My nephew likes cars. The toy truck is for him. 8. My neighbour wants to go to California next year. The guide

book is for her. 9. Here is another souvenir. I don't know what to do with it. 10. You know what? - It's for you.

Possessive Adjectives

Replace the personal pronouns by possessive adjectives.

1. Where are your friends now? 2. Here is a postcard from my friend Peggy. 3. She lives in Australia now with her family. 4. Her husband works in Newcastle. 5. His company builds ships. 6. Their children go to school in Newcastle. 7. My husband and I want to go to Australia, too. 8. We want to see Peggy and her family next winter. 9. Our winter! 10. Because it is their summer.

Possessive Pronouns

Replace the personal pronouns by possessive pronouns.

1. This book is yours. 2. The ball is mine. 3. The blue car is ours. 4. The ring is hers.

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5. We met Paul and Jane last night. This house is theirs. 6. The luggage is his. 7. The pictures are hers . 8. In our garden is a bird. The nest is its . 9. This cat is ours. 10. This was not my fault. It was yours.

Reflexive Pronouns

Fill in the correct reflexive pronouns.

1. I did not want to believe it and then I saw the UFO myself. 2. The girl looked at herself in the mirror. 3. Freddy, you'll have to do your homework yourself. 4. You don't need to help them. They can do it themselves . 5. I introduced myself to my new neighbour. 6. Boys, can you make your beds yourselves ? 7. She made herself a pullover. 8. What happens when a fighting fish sees itself in the mirror? 9. The father decided to repair the car himself. 10. We can move the table ourselves .

Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns

Decide whether you have to use the reflexive pronoun, the reciprocal pronoun (each other) or nothing.

1. John hurt himself when climbing the tree. 2. Peter and Sue helped each other with the homework. 3. I feel - much better today. 4. Did she make herself a cup of tea? 5. The wild monkey looked at itself in the mirror. 6. Brigit and Billy smiled at each other . 7. We're meeting - at the station. 8. During the meeting, Jane and Mary were talking to each

other. 9. I don't remember - where we spent our holiday last year. 10. We need to concentrate -.

Relative Pronouns (who / which / whose)

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Choose the correct relative pronoun (who, which, whose).

1. This is the bank which was robbed yesterday. 2. A boy whose sister is in my class was in the bank at that

time. 3. The man who robbed the bank had two pistols. 4. He wore a mask which made him look like Mickey Mouse. 5. He came with a friend who waited outside in the car. 6. The woman who gave him the money was young. 7. The bag which contained the money was yellow. 8. The people who were in the bank were very frightened. 9. A man whose mobile was ringing did not know what to do. 10. A woman whose daughter was crying tried to calm her. 11. The car which the bank robbers escaped in was orange. 12. The robber whose mask was obviously too big didn't drive. 13. The man who drove the car was nervous. 14. He didn't wait at the traffic lights which were red. 15. A police officer whose car was parked at the next corner

stopped and arrested them.

Exercises “ Little Red Riding Hood ” – Teil 1

Fill the gaps with the correct pronouns.

1. Once upon a time there was a girl called Little Red Riding Hood. Together with her mum, she lived in a big forest.

2. One fine day, Little Red Riding Hood’s mother said, “ Yourgrandma is ill. Please go and take this cake and a bottle of wine to her. Grandma’s house is not too far from our house, but always keep to the path and don’t stop!”

3. So, Little Red Riding Hood made her way to Grandma’s house. 4. In the forest she met the big bad wolf. 5. Little Red Riding Hood greeted him and the wolf asked: 6. “Where are you going, Little Red Riding Hood?” 7. “To my grandma’s house.” answered Little Red Riding Hood. 8. “Can you tell me where your grandma lives?” 9. “ She lives in a little cottage at the edge of the forest.” 10. “Why don’t you pick some nice flowers for her?” asked the

wolf. 11. “That’s a good idea.” said Little Red Riding Hood and began

looking for flowers. Meanwhile, the wolf was on his way to grandma’s house.

12. The house was quite small but nice and its roof was made out of straw.

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13. The wolf went inside and swallowed poor old Grandma. After that he put Grandma’s clothes on and lay down in her bed.

Exercises “ Little Red Riding Hood ” – Teil 2

Fill the gaps with the correct pronouns.

1. Some time later, Little Red Riding Hood came to the little cottage. She went inside and was shocked by the sight of her grandma.

2. “Oh grandma, what big eyes, hands and mouth you have got!” Little Red Riding Hood said.

3. There, the wolf jumped out of bed and swallowed her, too. 4. Then he lay down again and fell asleep. 5. After a while, the hunter passed by Grandma’s house. He

heard somebody snoring, thought that there was something wrong and consequently went inside.

6. In the bedroom, he saw the wolf. 7. First, the hunter wanted to shoot him, but then he saw the

wolf’s big belly. 8. So, the hunter took out his knife and cut the belly open. 9. Out came Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma. 10. “Thank you for saving us,” whispered Little Red Riding Hood. 11. Then, all of them went to fetch some stones and put them in

the wolf’s belly. 12. Soon the wolf woke up. He was very thirsty and went to the

well in the garden to drink some water. 13. When the wolf wanted to lean over and drink, the stones in

his belly were too heavy and pulled him down into the well. 14. Grandma, the hunter and Little Red Riding Hood were happy,

ate their cake and drank the wine. 15. But the wolf in the well thought, “Why do such things always

happen to me?”

4. Some/Any, Much/Many

Check out the following sites to find explanations, exercises and tips on some/any and much/many.

Exercises Some and Any Much and Many

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Some / any

Exercises on some and any

The words some and any are used for countable and uncountable nouns. In general, we could say that some means a few / a little and any means none in negative clauses or a few / a little in questions.

Positive Clauses

In positive clauses, we usually use some.

Example: I have bought some bread. I have bought some apples.

Negative Clauses

In negative clauses, we use any. Note, however, that any alone is not a negative - it must be not ... any

Example: I have not bought any bread. I have not bought any apples.

Questions

In questions, we usually use any.

Example: Have you bought any bread? Have you bought any apples?

Compound Words with some / any

Some / any can also be part of compound words such as:

something / anything someone / anyone somewhere / anywhere

Note that some / any have to be used with a noun while compound words with some / any can stand on their own.

Example: I have bought some bread. I have bought something.

However, some and any need not stand directly before the noun. Sometimes, the noun appears somewhere before some or any and is

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not repeated. So if you are not sure whether to use some or something for example, check if there is a noun in the sentence that you can place after some.

Example: I do not have to buy bread. Rachel has already bought some [bread].

Exceptions

Positive Clauses with Any

We usually use some in positive clauses. But after never, without, hardly, we use any.

Example: We never go anywhere. She did her homework without any help. There’s hardly anyone here.

Also in if clauses, we usually use any.

Example: If there is anything to do, just call me.

Questions with Some

We usually use any in questions. But if we expect or want the other to answer ‚yes‘, we use some.

Example: Have you got any brothers and sisters?

→ some people have brothers or sisters, others don't - we cannot expect the answer to be ‚yes‘Would you like some biscuits?

→ we offer something and want to encourage the other to say ‚ja‘

Exercises on Some and Any Some / Any Exercise 1 , Exercise 2 Someone / Anyone Something / Anything Somewhere / Anywhere

Mixed Exercises Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3

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Exercises with Exceptions Exercise 1 - Exceptions in positive clauses Exercise 2 - Exceptions in positive clauses Exercise 3 - Exceptions in positive clauses and questions Exercise 4 - Exceptions in positive clauses and questions

Exercise and Answer:

Exercises on some / any

Exercise 1

Fill in the correct word (some or any).

1. Sue went to the cinema with some of her friends! 2. Jane doesn't have any friends. 3. Have you got any brothers or sisters? 4. Here is some food for the cat. 5. I think you should put some flowers on the table. 6. Could you check if there are any calls on the answering

machine? 7. I don't want any presents for my birthday. 8. Did they have any news for you? 9. I'm hungry - I'll have some sandwiches. 10. There aren't any apples left. Exercise 2Fill in the

correct word (some or any).I need a hammer and some nails. 1. He does not want any help. 2. There are some sheep in the garden. 3. Do you know any famous people? 4. They often invite some friends to their home. 5. Do you have any idea what they are doing there? 6. Charly doesn't have any pets. 7. My little brother already knows some words in English. 8. My mum doesn't speak any foreign languages. 9. I've got some sweets for you.

someone / anyone

Fill in the correct word (someone or anyone).

1. I know someone who is 100 years old. 2. There is someone at the door. 3. Did anyone call?

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4. There wasn't anyone at home. 5. I think there is someone in the bushes. 6. I won't tell anyone about your secret. 7. I didn't know the way, so I had to ask someone . 8. Has anyone seen my keys? 9. I would not give my bike to anyone . 10. This jacket does not belong to anyone of us.

something / anything

Fill in the correct word (something or anything).

1. Is there anything I could do for you? 2. There is something in your hair. 3. He said something stupid. 4. Did you buy anything ? 5. There isn't anything in the fridge. 6. Do you know anything about Ireland? 7. I couldn't see anything in the dark. 8. Bob asked her something . 9. I haven't heard anything of Sue for ages. 10. Has anything happened while I was away?

somewhere / anywhere

Fill in the correct word (somewhere or anywhere).

1. Have you seen my necklace anywhere ? 2. The restaurant must be somewhere around here. 3. My friend lives somewhere in Spain. 4. I cannot find my glasses anywhere . 5. Did you travel anywhere last weekend? 6. We have been somewhere near London. 7. Is Jane anywhere around? 8. I haven't seen her anywhere . 9. Have you parked your car anywhere near? 10. Let's go somewhere next weekend.

Mix - Exercise 1

Fill in the correct word.

1. Phil is watching something on TV. 2. Can you see Simon anywhere ?

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3. My little sister doesn't eat anything with carrots. 4. My grandfather is someone who doesn't go anywhere near a

computer. 5. The accident happened somewhere near our school. 6. Does anyone speak Japanese? 7. Someone will wait for you at the station. 8. Your cup is somewhere in the kitchen. 9. Your room is still a mess. Have you cleaned up anything

yet?

Mix - Exercise 2

Fill in the correct word.

1. I didn't know anyone at the party and they weren't playing any good songs either.

2. Let's go somewhere and eat something . 3. I bought some cheese in the shop. 4. ' Anything else?' the shop assistant asked when she gave

me the cheese. 5. I cannot see Charles anywhere . Are you sure he is here? 6. Laura is meeting some friends at the club tonight. 7. Will someone take you home or shall I pick you up? 8. Do you need any help?

Mix - Exercise 3

Fill in the correct word.

1. I would not go anywhere without you. 2. There is something I want to tell you. 3. The plates are somewhere in the cupboard. 4. Let's buy some postcards here, they are so nice. 5. Someone has left a message for you. 6. Did anyone call a taxi? 7. Do you know any songs by the Beatles? 8. I'm so hungry - I haven't eaten anything for hours. 9. I must find someone who can explain this to me. 10. There isn't a supermarket anywhere near us.

Exercise 1 - Exceptions in positive clauses

Fill in the correct word (some or any).

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1. Danny has got some cool computer games. 2. I can do this exercise without any help. 3. Noreen never has any time. 4. There are some ice-creams in the freezer for you and your

friends. 5. I get hardly any pocket-money from my parents. 6. In the zoo, we saw some strange creatures. 7. Some windows were open. 8. Stuart never reads any books in his freetime. 9. My friend has a garden without any trees. 10. We hardly ever eat any junk food.

Exercise 2 - Exceptions in positive clauses

Fill in the correct word.

1. Gerald bought some flowers for me on the market. 2. He usually comes without any flowers. 3. Linda has never been anywhere abroad. 4. There was hardly anyone at the club last Saturday. 5. I must ask you something . 6. Sally works somewhere in town. 7. Tony can spend all day in a shopping centre without spending

any money. 8. Jamie never does anything in the household. 9. Harry has been learning French for some years, and he speaks

the language without any problems.

Exercise 3 - Exceptions in positive clauses and questions

Fill in the correct word (some or any).

1. Would you like some biscuits? 2. No, thank you. But I'd like some orange juice, please. 3. I'm sorry. I don't have any orange juice. And there is

hardly any apple juice there, either. Would you like some milk? 4. I never drink any milk. Could I just have some water? 5. Of course. But why don't you want any biscuits? 6. I'm not hungry. I had eaten some sandwiches just before I

came here. 7. I see, but I will put some on the table, anyway.

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Exercise 4 - Exceptions in positive clauses and questions

Fill in the correct word.

1. When I am on holiday, I always buy something for my relatives.

2. When my brother is on holiday, he never sends a postcard to anyone .

3. Do you know any punk groups? 4. Cindy speaks hardly any German. 5. Would you like some tea? 6. Yes, please. And could I have some sugar as well? 7. He left the house without having eaten anything . 8. Someone has sent you a letter. 9. I cannot go anywhere this afternoon. 10. She never told us anything about her journeys. Much / many

Exercises on much and many The words much and many mean a lot of.If a noun is in singular, we use much Example:

much money

If a noun is in plural, we use many

Example: many friends

Use of much / many

In everyday English, we normally use much / many only in questions and negative clauses.

Example: How much money have you got? Carla does not have many friends.

In positive clauses with so, as or too, we also use much / many.

Example: Carla has so many friends. She has as many friends as Sue. Kevin has too much money.

In all other positive clauses, however, we prefer expressions like a lot of / lots of.

Example:

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Carla has a lot of / lots of friends. Kevin has a lot of / lots of money.

In formal texts, however, much / many are also common in positive clauses. This you will notice for example when you read English news.

Countable / Uncountable Nouns

In connection with much / many people often speak of countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

Countable nouns have a singular and a plural form. In plural, these nouns can be used with a number (that's why they are called 'countable nouns'). Countable nouns take many.

Example: 100 friends – many friends

Uncountable nouns can only be used in singular. These nouns cannot be used with a number (that's why they are called 'uncountable nouns'). Uncountable nouns take much.

Example: 100 money – much money

Note: Of course you can count money – but then you would name the currency and say that you have got 5 euro (but not „5 money“).

Exercises on much and many Much / Many - Exercise 1 Much / Many - Exercise 2 Much / Many - Exercise 3 Much / Many - Exercise 4 Much / Many - Exercise 5

Exercise and Answer

Exercise 1

Decide whether you have to use much or many.

1. many cars much music 2. many pictures many flowers 3. much milk many numbers 4. much money much tea

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5. many girls many pencils

Exercise 2

Decide whether you have to use much or many.

1. much food many evenings 2. many websites much sugar 3. many women much cheese 4. many children much time 5. many mice much information

Exercise 3

Decide whether you have to use much or many.

1. Jane hasn't got much time.2. Do you know many words in English? 3. He didn't eat much meat. 4. There isn't much butter in the fridge. 5. How many eggs did the hens lay? 6. Samantha has as much money as Bruce. 7. How many lessons do you have on Mondays?8. There was too much noise in the streets. 9. I cannot see many stars in the sky tonight. 10. Do you have many friends abroad?

Exercise 4

Decide whether you have to use much or many.

1. There is too much water in the bath tub.2. How many brothers and sisters has Anne got? 3. I don't receive many letters nowadays.4. How much rice do you eat per week? 5. I put too much salt in the soup.6. How many people were at the party? 7. It doesn't make much sense. 8. There wasn't much traffic on the motorway. 9. My grandfather does not have much hair, anymore. 10. How many plates do we need?

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Exercise 5

Decide whether you have to use much or many.

1. She has so many friends! 2. Too many cooks spoil the broth. 3. Hurry up. I don't have so much time. 4. We went to a dairy yesterday.I had never seen so many cows before. 5. It's also quite amazing how much milk these cows produce every day. 6. You have too much money. Won't you share it with me? 7. There are so many poor people in the world. 8. There are too many children in the house. 9. My father doesn't drink much coffee. 10. How many of you have ever been to London?

5. Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

Check out the following sites to find explanations, exercises and tips on cardinal and ordinal numbers.

Erläuterung Cardinal Numbers Ordinal Numbers

Hinweise Telephone Numbers Zero, Nil, Nought, Oh or Love

Exercises Cardinal Numbers Ordinal Numbers

Sonstiges Random Number Generator

Cardinal Numbers

Use our → number generator to see how to spell any desired number.

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Table of Cardinal Numbers

Carcinal numbers from 1 through 1,000,0001 one 11 eleven 21 twenty-one 31 thirty-one2 two 12 twelve 22 twenty-two 40 forty3 three 13 thirteen 23 twenty-three 50 fifty4 four 14 fourteen 24 twenty-four 60 sixty5 five 15 fifteen 25 twenty-five 70 seventy6 six 16 sixteen 26 twenty-six 80 eighty7 seven 17 seventeen 27 twenty-seven 90 ninety8 eight 18 eighteen 28 twenty-eight 100 a/one hundred 9 nine 19 nineteen 29 twenty-nine 1,000 a/one thousand10 ten 20 twenty 30 thirty 1,000,000 a/one million

Separation between hundreds and tens

Hundreds and tens are usually separated by 'and' (in American English 'and' is not necessary).

110 - one hundred and ten1,250 - one thousand, two hundred and fifty2,001 - two thousand and one

Hundreds

Use 100 always with 'a' or 'one'.

100 - a hundred / one hundred

'a' can only stand at the beginning of a number.

100 - a hundred / one hundred2,100 - two thousand, one hundred

Thousands and Millions

Use 1,000 and 1,000,000 always with 'a' or 'one'.

1,000 - a thousand / one thousand201,000 - two hundred and one thousand

Use commas as a separator.

57,458,302

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The Number 1,000,000,000

In English this number is a billion. This is very tricky for nations where 'a billion' has 12 zeros. 1,000,000,000,000 in English, however, is a trillion.

But don't worry, these numbers are even a bit problematic for native speakers: for a long time the British 'billion' had 12 zeros (a number with 9 zeros was called 'a thousand million'). Now, however, also in British English 'a billion' has 9 zeros. But from time to time this number still causes confusion (just like this paragraph, I'm afraid). ;o)

Singular or Plural?

Numbers are usually written in singular.

two hundred Eurosseveral thousand light years

The plural is only used with dozen, hundred, thousand, million, billion, if they are not modified by another number or expression (e.g. a few / several).

hundreds of Eurosthousands of light years

Exercise

Exercise on Spelling numbers

Ordinal numbers

Use our → number generator to see how to spell any desired number.

Table of Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal Numbers from 1 through 1,000,0001 st first 11th eleventh 21st twenty-first 31 st thirty-

first2 nd second 12th twelfth 22nd twenty-second 40 th fortieth3 rd third 13th thirteenth 23rd twenty-third 50 th fiftieth4 th fourth 14th fourteenth 24th twenty-fourth 60 th sixtieth5 th fifth 15th fifteenth 25th twenty-fifth 70 th seventieth

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6 th sixth 16th sixteenth 26th twenty-sixth 80 th eightieth7 th seventh 17th seventeenth 27th twenty-

seventh90 th ninetieth

8 th eighth 18th eighteenth 28th twenty-eighth 100 th one hundredth

9 th ninth 19th nineteenth 29th twenty-ninth

1,000 th one thousandth

10 th tenth 20th twentieth 30th thirtieth 1,000,000th one millionth

                           

Form

Spelling of Ordinal Numbers

Just add th to the cardinal number:

four - fourth eleven - eleventh

Exceptions:

one - first two - second three - third five - fifth eight - eighth nine - ninth twelve - twelfth

In compound ordinal numbers, note that only the last figure is written as an ordinal number:

421st = four hundred and twenty-first 5,111th = five thousand, one hundred and eleventh

Figures

When expressed as figures, the last two letters of the written word are added to the ordinal number:

first = 1st second = 2nd third = 3rd fourth = 4th twenty-sixth = 26th hundred and first = 101st

Titles

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In names for kings and queens, ordinal numbers are written in Roman numbers. In spoken English, the definite article is used before the ordinal number:

Charles II - Charles the Second Edward VI - Edward the Sixth Henry VIII - Henry the Eighth

Exercise on Pronounciation of Ordinal Numbers

Phone Numbers

Each figure is said separately.

24 - two four

The figure 'O' is called oh.

105 - one oh five

Pause after groups of 3 or 4 figures (last group).

376 4705 - three seven six, four seven oh five

If two successive figures are the same, in British English you would usually use the word double (in American English you would just say the figure twice)

376 4775 - BE: three seven six, four double seven five376 4775 - AE: three seven six, four seven seven five

The Figure »0«

nought - in general (British English)

zero - in general (American English)

  - in measurements of temperature (British and American English)

  - in count-downs (British and American English)

  - score in team games, e.g. football (American English)

oh - when each figure is said separately (e.g. in phone numbers, account numbers etc.)

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nil - score in team games, e.g. football (British English)

love - in tennis and similar games

6. Date and Time

Check out the following sites to find explanations, exercises and tips on date and time.

Erläuterung What's the time? - ways to tell the time in English Date - ways to write the date in English Months and Days of the Week Date - ways to read the date in English Date - years

Exercises How to tell the time How to read the date How to write the date

ZusatzExercises Origin of the Names of the Months Origin of the Days of the Week Days of the Week

Sonstiges Date Generator (written and read)

Exercise

Exercise on Telling the Time

Explanation

There are two common ways of telling the time.

Formal but easier way

Say the hours first and then the minutes.

Example: 7:45 - seven forty-five

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For minutes 01 through 09, you can pronounce the '0' as oh.

Example: 11:06 - eleven (oh) six

More popular way

Say the minutes first and then the hours. Use past and the preceding hour for minutes 01 through 30. Use to and the forthcoming hour for minutes 31 through 59, but .

Example: 7.15 - fifteen minutes past seven

Example: 7.45 - fifteen minutes to eight

Another possibility of saying '15 minutes past' is: a quarter past

Another possibility of saying '15 minutes to' is: a quarter to

Another possibility of saying '30 minutes past' is: half past

Example: 5:30 - half past five

Watch

Note

Use o'clock only at the full hour.

Example: 7:00 - seven o'clock (but 7:10 - ten past seven)

In English ordinary speech, the twelve-hour clock is used.

Beispiel: 17:20 - twenty past five

For times around midnight or midday you can use the expressions midnight or midday / noon instead of the number 12.

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Beispiel: 00:00 - midnight

Beispiel: 12:00 - midday or noon

To make clear (where necessary) whether you mean a time before 12 o'clock noon or after, you can use in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night. Use in the morning before 12 o'clock noon, after 12 o'clock noon use in the afternoon. When to change from afternoon to evening, from evening to night and from night to morning depends on your sense of time.

Example: 3:15 - a quarter past three in the morning OR a quarter past three at night

More formal expressions to indicate whether a time is before noon or after are a.m. (also: am - ante meridiem, before noon) and p.m. (also: pm - post meridiem, after noon). Use these expression only with the formal way of telling the time.

Example: 3:15 - three fifteen a.m.

It is not usual to use a.m. and p.m. with past/to.

Example: 3:15 - fifteen minutes past three OR a quarter past three

American English

Beside past Americans often use after.

Example: 06:10 - ten past/after six

But: in time expressions with half past it is not usual to replace past by after.

Beside to Americans often use before, of or till.

Example: 05:50 - ten to/before/of/till six-__________________________________________________________

Dates in Written English

British English

In British English the day is usually put before the month. If you wish, you can add the ending of the ordinal number. The preposition of before the month is usually dropped. You can put

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a comma before the year, but this is not common anymore in British English.

Example: 5(th) (of) October(,) 2004

American English

In American English the month is usually put before the day. If you wish, you can put the definite article before the day. It is common to write a comma before the year.

Example: October (the) 5(th), 2004

You can also write the date by using numbers only. The most common forms are:

Example: 5/10/04 or 5-10-04

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