What is the correct Date "th, st" format?

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NewEnglish1

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When you are using the date format, for example "1st month, 2nd month, 3rd month, 4th month.. etc." What do you call this in English? ("st", "nd", "rd")

If you need to explain, 5th, 6th, 7th 8th and the rest.. is the rest only use "th"? or in the middle it need to repeat "nd, rd"? I need to know what is the correct way of using it. Thanks
 

GoesStation

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You're describing ordinal numbers, the number names we use when discussing the order of something.

The ordinal name applies to the final one or two digits of an integer: first, eleventh, twenty-first, one hundred and eleventh; second, twelfth, twenty-second, one hundred and twelfth; third, thirteenth, twenty-third, one hundred and third; fourth, fourteenth, twenty-fourth, one hundred and fourth; etc.
 

Skrej

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When you are using the date format, for example "1st month, 2nd month, 3rd month, 4th month.. etc." What do you call this in English? ("st", "nd", "rd")


There are referred to as 'ordinal' numbers. Regular numbers showing quantity are referred to as 'cardinal' numbers.

If you need to explain, 5th, 6th, 7th 8th and the rest.. is the rest only use "th"? or in the middle it need to repeat "nd, rd"? I need to know what is the correct way of using it. Thanks

If the number ends in 1, 2, or 3, you'll use the corresponding 'st',' nd', or 'rd'. Otherwise use 'th'.

Examples:
1[SUP][SUB]st[/SUB][/SUP]
2[SUP]nd[/SUP]
3[SUP]rd[/SUP]
4[SUP]th[/SUP]
10[SUP]th[/SUP]
20[SUP]th[/SUP]
100[SUP]th[/SUP]
101[SUP]st[/SUP]
102[SUP]nd[/SUP]
103[SUP]rd[/SUP]
104[SUP]th[/SUP]
110[SUP]th[/SUP]
120[SUP][SUB]th
[/SUB][/SUP]751[SUP][SUB]st[/SUB][/SUP]
3,202[SUP]nd
[/SUP]433[SUP]rd
[/SUP]1,527[SUP]th[/SUP]
 

GoesStation

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If the number ends in 1, 2, or 3, you'll use the corresponding 'st',' nd', or 'rd'. Otherwise use 'th'.

The ordinals in the low teens, and compounds ending in those numbers, don't follow that pattern.
 

NewEnglish1

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The ordinals in the low teens, and compounds ending in those numbers, don't follow that pattern.

Hi, I am not too sure what do you mean, if the number is 1092, so not suppose to use "nd"?
 

emsr2d2

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No, 1092nd is correct. The "low teens" are, for me, 13 and 14 and they follow the normal rule and are 13th and 14th.

I can only assume GoesStation was referring, for example, to the number 11 which ends in a "1" but is not followed by "st" and the number 12 which ends in a "2" but is not followed by "nd".

11th (111th, 211th etc).
12th 112th, 212th, etc).

In all other situations, a "1" is followed by "st" and a "2" is followed by "nd".
 

GoesStation

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Hi, I am not too sure what do you mean, if the number is 1092, so not suppose to use "nd"?

The low teens I referred to are 11, 12, and 13. They end in 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Their ordinals all end in th. The pattern suggested in post #3 would have them end in "'st',' nd', or 'rd'".

The correct rule is:

If the number ends in 11, 12, or 13, its ordinal ends in th. Otherwise, if it ends in 1, 2, or 3, use the corresponding st, nd, or rd. All other ordinals use th.
 

emsr2d2

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Apologies, I missed out 13 in my last post. However, I don't refer to 11 or 12 as low teens. For something to be a low teen, the number needs to end in "-teen". It doesn't refer to a number that's simply over ten. Kids don't become "teens" until their 13th birthday, not their 11th birthday. That's the case in BrE, at least.
 

GoesStation

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Apologies, I missed out 13 in my last post. However, I don't refer to 11 or 12 as low teens. For something to be a low teen, the number needs to end in "-teen". It doesn't refer to a number that's simply over ten. Kids don't become "teens" until their 13th birthday, not their 11th birthday. That's the case in BrE, at least.

Agreed, and it's the same in AmE. I should have specified what I meant: eleven, twelve and thirteen.
 
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