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Old 22-Jun-2003, 15:37
catie
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Default fraction

Hello teachers.

How do you say fractions like, for instance, 2/3, 432/523, 1 5/9 or 2 3/5?
We say two third for 2/3 and one third for 1/3, right? But I've heard people saying like "two over three" or something using "over" when they say fraction. What's the correct way to say those fractions?

Thank you very much :D

Catie
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Old 22-Jun-2003, 22:52
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Default Re: fraction

Quote:
Originally Posted by catie
Hello teachers.

How do you say fractions like, for instance, 2/3, 432/523, 1 5/9 or 2 3/5?
We say two third for 2/3 and one third for 1/3, right? But I've heard people saying like "two over three" or something using "over" when they say fraction. What's the correct way to say those fractions?

Thank you very much :D

Catie
For 2/3 I would say two thirds. For 1 5/9 I would say one and five ninths. For 2 3/5 I would say two and three fifths. For 432/523 I would say four-hundred-thirty-two over five-hundred-twenty-three. I would not expect somebody to say two over three when he means two thirds. It would not, I think, be readily understood. However, the "big" one would, I think, be rather awkward to say the usual way.

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Old 23-Jun-2003, 20:28
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I'd use 'over' for less usual and complex fractions, where the ordinal numbers are clumsier. 3/8 is three eighths to me, but it could be 3 over 8.
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