This lesson is very straightforward as we're going to cover counting zero through ten. We'll also cover ordinal numbers, so let's jump right in. |
Counting in English is simple, the cardinal numbers are zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. The ordinal numbers tell us the order of things, and are first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth. Ordinal numbers will be used when saying the date, talking about seat rows in the theater, and when talking about winners in order. |
If you go shopping and you see some t-shirts that you would like to buy your friends and family as souvenirs, you can say, Can I get six t-shirts please? Once again, that's - Can I get six t-shirts please? Remember, that can I get can be replaced by may I have or I would like, but since English can be casual even among people you've never talked before, can I get would be fine to use. So that's Can I get six t-shirts please? |
Now, if you find some wine that you like and would like to buy it, would you say can I get three wines please? ... no! You would actually say can I get three bottles of wine? In this case we have to count the bottles which is the glass container holding the wine and not the wine itself. This is because bottles can be counted and liquid things such as wine cannot be counted, unless they are contained. So, one more time - can I get three bottles of wine please? |
Okay, let's step it up again. How would you ask for bread? You can either say can I get 5 slices of bread or can I get a loaf of bread. The word slice in the first sentence refers to the thin cut pieces of something like bread. The word loaf in the second one refers to the whole uncut bread. Can I get 5 slices of bread? Can I get a loaf of bread?So, depending what you ask for, you may get a lot or a little. Of course if you're at a supermarket you probably wouldn't be asking for bread since you can just pick and choose yourself. |
Okay, now to close out today's lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll say the phrase or sentence, and why don't you try saying it out loud? Good luck everybody! |
- Can I get six t-shirts please. |
- Can I get three bottles of wine. |
- Can I get 5 slices of bread. |
All right, that's going to do it for today! See you all soon! |
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