Decimals are regularly used in everyday English, to denote a decimal number, we use the dot (.) This includes money such as dollars and cents, but more specifically in scientific and technical English, in order to indicate with precision quantities that are not a complete number.
We can describe numbers less than one using fractions or decimals. Today, the decimal system is more common than fractions.
What are the decimals numbers?
A decimal separator is a symbol used to separate the integer part from the fractional part of a number written in decimal form. They are not difficult to use.
Different countries officially designate different symbols for use as the separator. The choice of symbol also affects the choice of symbol for the thousands separator used in digit grouping.
Rules to use decimal numbers
Decimal numbers are read in English by saying the word "point" for the decimal point and then reading each number separately. Examples:
- After the decimal point figures are expressed digit by digit. The words hundred and thousand are never used after the decimal point.
- The decimal point is precisely that; a point, never a comma.
- Before a decimal point, for a quantity less than 1, one normally begins (British English) nought point ... or (all forms of English) zero point ....
- After the decimal point, the 0 is expressed as "oh" or "nought" or "zero"
Examples of decimal numbers
| Said | Written |
|---|---|
| Point five | 0.5 |
| Point two five | 0.25 |
| Point seven three | 0.73 |
| Point zero five | 0.05 |
| Point six five two nine | 0.6529 |
| Two point nine five | 2.95 |
| Point two five or nought point two five, or zero point two five | 0.25 |
| Seventeen point eight oh six | 17.806 |
| Three hundred and eighty-four point six three | 384.63 |
| one hundred and seventeen point eight seven six five nine | 117.87659 |
See: List of all Silent Letters in the English Language
References