Cardinal & Ordinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers, like “one” or “three,” tell you how many of something there are (quantity), while ordinal numbers, such as “first” or “third,” tell you the order or position of something in a sequence. Cardinal numbers are used for counting, such as “two apples,” and ordinal numbers are used for ranking or indicating position, like “the second day of the month” or “she is third in line”.

কার্ডিনাল সংখ্যা, যেমন “এক” বা “তিন,” দেখায় কতটি কিছু আছে (পরিমাণ), যখন অর্ডিনাল সংখ্যা, যেমন “প্রথম” বা “তৃতীয়,” দেখায় কোনো কিছুর ক্রম বা অবস্থান। কার্ডিনাল সংখ্যা গণনার জন্য ব্যবহৃত হয়, যেমন “দুইটি আপেল,” এবং অর্ডিনাল সংখ্যা ব্যবহৃত হয় স্থান বা ক্রম নির্দেশ করতে, যেমন “মাসের দ্বিতীয় দিন” বা “সে লাইনে তৃতীয়।”

কার্ডিনাল সংখ্যা দেখায় কতটি আছে, যেমন “একটা,” “দুটি,” “তিনটা।”
অর্ডিনাল সংখ্যা দেখায় ক্রম বা অবস্থান, যেমন “প্রথম,” “দ্বিতীয়,” “তৃতীয়।”

• উদাহরণ:

  • কার্ডিনাল: দুইটি বই

  • অর্ডিনাল: সে লাইনে তৃতীয়

Cardinal Numbers 

Purpose: To count and show quantity.

Examples: One, two, three, four.

Usage: “Tim earned two undergraduate degrees”.

“You have two eyes”.

Ordinal Numbers

Purpose: To show the order or rank of an item in a series or sequence.

Examples: First, second, third, fourth.

Usage: “Henry is third in line”.

“The baby’s height is in the 90th percentile”.

Dates are a common use, such as “January 15th, 2013”.

How to Remember the Difference 

“Cardinal numbers: indicate the “cardinal” importance of the total number.

Ordinal numbers: are for “order,” which you can remember by the first three letters, “ord-“.

Examples in a Sentence 

Cardinal: There are three balls.

Ordinal: The third ball is red.Chart of Cardinal & Ordinal Numbers (1–100)

Cardinal		Ordinal		Cardinal	Ordinal	Cardinal	Ordinal	Cardinal	Ordinal
1One		1st		26Twenty-six	26th	51Fifty one	51st	76Seventy six	76th
2Two		2nd		27Twenty-seven	27th	52Fifty two	52nd	77Seventy seven	77th
3Three		3rd		28Twenty-eight	28th	53Fifty three	53rd	78Seventy Eight	78th
4Four		4th		29Twenty-nine	29th	54Fifty four	54th	79Seventy nine	79th
5Five		5th		30Thirty	30th	55Fifty five	55th	80Eighty	80th
6Six		6th		31Thirty	31st	56Fifty six	56th	81Eighty one	81st
7Seven		7th		32Thirty two	32nd	57Fifty seven	57th	82Eighty two	82nd
8Eight		8th		33Thirty three	33rd	58Fifty eight	58th	83Eighty three	83rd
9Nine		9th		34Thirty four	34th	59Fifty nine	59th	84Eighty four	84th
10Ten		10th		35Thirty five	35th	60Sixty	60th	85Eighty five	85th
11Eleven		11th		36Thirty six	36th	61Sixty one	61st	86Eighty six	86th
12Twelve		12th		37Thirty seven	37th	62Sixty two	62nd	87Eighty seven	87th
13Thirteen		13th		38Thirty eight	38th	63Sixthy three	63rd	88Eighty eight	88th
14Fourteen		14th		39Thirty nine	39th	64Sixty four	64th	89Eighty nine	89th
15Fifteen		15th		40Forty	40th	65Sixty five	65th	90Ninety	90th
16Sixteen		16th		41Forty one	41st	66Sixty six	66th	91Ninety one	91st
17Seventeen		17th		42Forty two	42nd	67Sixty seven	67th	92Ninety two	92nd
18Eighteen		18th		43Forty three	43rd	68Sixty eight	68th	93Ninety three	93rd
19Nineteenth		19th		44Forty four	44th	69Sixty nine	69th	94Ninety four	94th
20Twentieth		20th		45Forty five	45th	70Seventy	70th	95Ninety five	95th
21Twenty-one		21st		46Forty six	46th	71Seventy one	71st	96Ninety six	96th
22Twenty-two		22nd		47Forty seven	47th	72Seventy two	72nd	97Ninety seven	97th
23Twenty-three		23rd		48Forty eight	48th	73Seventy three	73rd	98Ninety eight	98th
24Twenty-four		24th		49Forty nine	49th	74Seventy four	74th	99Ninety nine	99th
25Twenty-five		25th		50Fifty	50th	75Seventy five	75th	100One Hundred	100th
100th	Hundredth

1000 One thousand 1000^th Thousand

Write the cardinal or ordinal numbers into the gaps.

On Saturday I reach school at 7:30 am. I attend the (a) ——— period at 8 am. After that, I attend (b) ——– period at 8:40 am After that I attend (b) ——– period at 8:40 and (c) ——- period at 9:20 am. After 3rd period at 10 am we get tiffin break. Then I attend (d) ——- period at 10:30 am and after (e) ——— period at 11:30 I get back home

1. Bangladesh became independent in _______ (1971).
2. February is the _______ month of the year.
3. I have _______ brothers and two sisters.
4. Today is my _______ birthday.
5. There are _______ continents in the world.
6. Sunday is the _______ day of the week.
7. She lives on the _______ floor of the building.
8. I have read this book _______ times.
9. The capital of France is in the _______ largest city of Europe.
10. My roll number is _______ in the class.
11. We are in the _______ century now.
12. A week has _______ days.
13. December is the _______ month of the year.
14. I bought _______ pens from the shop.
15. He stood _______ in the line.
16. There are _______ players in a cricket team.
17. The _______ chapter of the book is very interesting.
18. The teacher gave me _______ marks out of ten.
19. They celebrated their _______ wedding anniversary.
20. My uncle has _______ children.
21. The _______ World War ended in 1945.
22. I was born on the _______ of May.
23. The train leaves at _______ o’clock.
24. There are _______ months in a year.
25. The boy is in class _______.
26. The Taj Mahal was built in the _______ century.
27. She was the _______ to answer the question.
28. We went to Dhaka _______ times last year.
29. This is the _______ time I am visiting Cox’s Bazar.
30. They won the match by _______ goals.
31. The moon goes around the earth in about _______ days.
32. Saturday is the _______ day of the week.
33. He is the _______ student in our class.
34. I have _______ books on my table.
35. They are celebrating their _______ Independence Day.
36. The bus arrived _______ minutes late.
37. The girl got _______ position in the exam.
38. A leap year has _______ days.
39. I have visited India _______ times.
40. He is the _______ son of his parents.
41. The Olympic Games are held every _______ years.
42. There are _______ letters in the English alphabet.
43. My father works on the _______ floor of the office.
44. I need _______ more rupees to buy the book.
45. This is the _______ largest river in Bangladesh.
46. She stood in the _______ row during the parade.
47. A football match is played between _______ players.
48. My friend is the _______ child in the family.
49. I have seen this movie _______ times already.
50. Today is the _______ day of September.

Answer Key

1. 1971 (nineteen seventy-one)

2. second

3. three

4. fifteenth (example: you can change according to context)

5. seven

6. first

7. tenth (example: depends on context)

8. three

9. second

10. five (example: depends on roll number)

11. twenty-first

12. seven

13. twelfth

14. five

15. third

16. eleven

17. first

18. nine

19. silver / twenty-fifth (both possible)

20. four

21. Second

22. fifth (example date)

23. six

24. twelve

25. six

26. seventeenth

27. first

28. three

29. second

30. two

31. twenty-eight

32. seventh

33. best / first

34. ten

35. fifty-third (Bangladesh Independence Day in 2024 → 53rd)

36. ten

37. first

38. three hundred sixty-six

39. two

40. eldest / first

41. four

42. twenty-six

43. third

44. fifty

45. second (Padma is 2nd largest in Bangladesh)

46. first

47. twenty-two

48. youngest / third (example)

49. four

50. fifth (since today is 5 September)

Set:1

11. Here is weekly schedule of activities of a student. Write five sentences using the days of the week when your friends do these activities. Saturday is the first day of the week.

Days of the week	Activities
1st Day	Visiting a historical place.
2nd Day	Taking care of their garden.
3rd Day	Washing their clothes.
4th Day	Polishing shoes.
5th Day	Cutting hair.

Set:2

11. Write 5 sentences about your school activity on the day of annual prize giving ceremony considering the following points. [Write the time in numbers and period sequence in ordinal numbers in your writing.]

-When did annual prize giving ceremony begin?

– How long did it continue?

– What time did the prize distribution start and come to an end?

Or. Fill in the blanks by writing the time so that the story makes sense.

We normally reach our school at (a) ——–. Our classes start at (b) ———. We have our lunch break at (c) ———-. Classes again start after lunch break at (d) ———. The classes end at (e) ———–.

Here is a TV schedule of programmes on the training of different sports.. Write five sentences using the days of the week when your friends wath these programmes. Saturday is the first day of the week..

Days of the week	Name of the works
1st Day	Cricket Game
2nd Day	Football Game
3rd Day	Tennis Game
4th Day	Badminton Game
5th Day	Hockey Game

Set: 3

11. Write five sentences. Describing your activity at home after breakfast considering the following points. [Write the time in numbers and period sequence in ordinal numbers in your writing]

– When do you finish your breakfast?

– What do you do first after breakfast?

– When do you start for school and reach there.

Or, Fill in the gaps by writing the time so that the story makes sense.

My name is Anika. I come back home at (a) —- from school. I take bath at (b) ——-. I have lunch at (c) ——. I go to bed for a nap at (d) ——-. At (e) ——-, I go out for playing with my friends.