Youtube Exercise » English Grammar Homework

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How to Say Big Numbers in English

Mad English TV

203K views 9 years ago

Warm-up Questions

When you see a very big number, do you prefer to read it in digits or in words?
In your language, is it easy or difficult to say numbers like “million” and “billion”?
Where do you think English uses the word “and” when saying numbers?

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Start With: Word Definition

Order: Alphabetical Random

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How to Say Big Numbers in English

Big numbers: the main units and the key pattern (00:00 – 02:01)

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1. Which list shows the big-number words the speaker teaches as the main ones?

hundred, thousand, million, billion, trillion
thousand, lakh, crore, million, billion
hundred, dozen, score, million, trillion

2. What does the speaker say is probably the highest big-number word most native English speakers know?

trillion
quadrillion
million

3. To say a huge number, what do you mainly need to know first?

How to say every comma as the word “and”
How to say the last digit only, then add zeros
How to say the 3-digit piece (like 185), then add million/billion/trillion

How to Say Big Numbers in English

Where to put “and” (and when it disappears) (02:01 – 03:31)

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1. Where does the speaker say the word “and” does NOT go?

At the very end of the number
After the first number group
Where the commas are

2. What happens to the word “and” when the speaker changes a 4 to a 0 in the example?

It becomes “or”
It disappears
It moves to the beginning

3. What does the speaker say about the last part of a big number?

The last one always has to have an “and”
The last one must be said as digits only
The last one should never have “and”

How to Say Big Numbers in English

Practice numbers and homework (03:31 – 05:27)

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1. What does the speaker ask you to do with the practice section?

Memorize the numbers and write them from memory
Look at the numbers and try to say them in English
Translate the numbers into your first language

2. What is the homework for today?

Write what the number is using words
Find a bigger number than a trillion
Record yourself saying “trillion” 100 times

3. Where should you put your homework answer?

In the comments
On a worksheet
In an email to the speaker

How to Say Big Numbers in English

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1. What is the main strategy the speaker teaches for reading very large numbers?

Only read the first group and say “etc.”
Say each digit one by one
Break the number into 3-digit groups and add words like million/billion/trillion

2. According to the lesson, which word is used to connect parts of a number like “one hundred ___ eighty-five”?

3. What affects whether the speaker includes the word “and” in some examples?

Whether the number has an odd number of digits
Whether there are zeros in certain places
Whether the number is bigger than a trillion

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

How to Say Big Numbers in English

Do you usually say “and” in numbers in your English (e.g., “one hundred and five”)? How is it different in your country’s English (if you know)?
Which is harder for you: saying big numbers quickly, or understanding them when someone else says them? Why?
What situations in real life might require you to say big numbers in English (money, population, distance, business, etc.)?
What method do you use to avoid mistakes when reading a long number: grouping by commas, reading from left to right, or something else?