GRADE 9 English SOCIAL AND MASS MEDIA – GRAMMAR IN USE:WORLD CLASSES - NUMERALS AND ORDINALS Notes
GRAMMAR IN USE: WORLD CLASSES — NUMERALS & ORDINALS
Topic: Social & Mass Media • Subject: English • Level: Form 2 (age 14, Kenya)
Learning objectives:
- Know the difference between cardinal (numerals) and ordinal numbers.
- Form ordinals correctly (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th …) and use them in sentences.
- Apply numbers correctly in social and mass media writing: headlines, captions, dates, percentages and ranks.
1. What are numerals?
Numerals (or cardinals) tell "how many": 1, 2, 3, 10, 100, 1,000.
Ordinals tell position or order: first, second, third, fourth (written 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th).
2. How to write cardinals
- Small numbers often written as words in formal writing (one, two, three) — many school guidelines use words for numbers below 10. But in social media and news, digits are common: "5 likes", "3 comments".
- Use digits for large numbers, statistics, follower counts, scores, times and percentages: "2,500 followers", "67% voted yes". Use commas for thousands: 1,000; 10,000.
- Compound numbers 21–99 are hyphenated in words: twenty-one, fifty-five.
- Decimal point: 4.5 (views in millions: 1.2M). In Kenya we use the dot for decimals: 2.5.
3. How to form ordinals
- Regular rule: add -th: four → fourth, ten → tenth, twenty → twentieth.
- Irregulars you must remember: 1 → first (1st), 2 → second (2nd), 3 → third (3rd).
- For numbers ending in 1, 2, 3 use the endings -st, -nd, -rd except for 11, 12, 13:
21 → 21st, 32 → 32nd, 43 → 43rd, but 11 → 11th, 12 → 12th, 13 → 13th.
- Compound ordinals: write the last word as an ordinal in words: twenty-one → twenty-first; 101 → one hundred and first (or 101st).
4. Use of numerals & ordinals in social and mass media
Use digits and correct ordinals to make posts clear and eye-catching. Examples:
- Follower counts & likes: "We reached 5,000 followers today! 🎉" (digits for big numbers)
- Headlines and captions: "Top 5 Tips for Safer Online Sharing" — digits are common in headlines.
- Poll results and percentages: "67% of respondents prefer video ads." Use % after digits.
- Dates (Kenyan style: day-month-year): "Event: 1 July 2025" or "1st July 2025". Both appear in media; day-month is standard in Kenya.
- Times: "Live at 7:30 PM" or "7:30 pm" — use digits and AM/PM for posts.
- Ranks and charts: "Nairobi is 1st in the survey" or "Our show finished 2nd overall."
- Episodes or parts: "Episode 3" or "Season 2, Episode 5" — ordinals are often used with 'the': "the 3rd episode".
- Phone numbers & money: write digits: "Call 0712 345 678" or "KSh 300". (Spacing for readability is fine: 0712 345 678.)
- Hashtags: numbers may be used but avoid ordinal suffixes inside hashtags if unclear: "#1Trending" or "#Top10".
5. Quick grammar tips
- When using ordinals before a noun, include "the": "She was the first commenter."
- In headlines, digits (5, 10, 100) are more attention-grabbing than words: "5 Ways to Protect Your Privacy".
- Be consistent: if you start using digits in a list or report, keep the style the same throughout.
- Common mistake: using 1st, 2nd, 3rd inside formal continuous text repeatedly — consider words (first, second) for long formal paragraphs.
Examples — Social & Mass Media context
• "We have 3 new posts today." → OK for a casual update.
• "Top 10 Kenyan YouTubers to follow" → good headline format.
• "The 2nd prize goes to the school team." → position: ordinal + noun.
• "11th August 2025 — Join our live chat at 6:00 PM." → date (day-month) and time.
• "Only 4% of users reported spam comments." → percent is written with % sign.
Practice — fill the blanks
- Write in digits: "_______ people liked the post." (answer: 750)
- Write as ordinal: "He came _______ in the debate." (answer: 2nd / second)
- Date (Kenyan format) for July 9, 2025: "__________" (answer: 9 July 2025 or 9th July 2025)
- Headline: "Top _______ Tips for Safer Sharing" (use digits) (answer: 5)
- Percent: "________ of viewers watched the full video." (answer example: 82%)
Answers are shown in parentheses for quick checking.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: "She finished 11st." — Correct: "She finished 11th."
- Wrong: "We received three,000 likes." — Better: "We received 3,000 likes." (digits are clearer for big numbers)
- Wrong: "The twenty one videos" — Correct: "the twenty-one videos" (hyphenate 21 in words)
Final tip: For social and mass media writing, use digits for clarity and impact (followers, views, percentages, dates, times). Use words for short, formal statements or where style requires it. Stay consistent and check ordinals (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 12th, 13th).
📱 📰 #SocialMediaGrammar — Practice by writing captions using correct numerals and ordinals.