Editing English numerals (section)

==Fractions and decimals==
{{See also|Fraction (mathematics)#Vocabulary|List of numbers#Fractional numbers}}
Numbers used to denote the denominator of a fraction are known linguistically as "[[partitive]] numerals". In spoken English, ordinal numerals and partitive numerals are identical with a few exceptions. Thus "fifth" can mean the element between fourth and sixth, or the fraction created by dividing the unit into five pieces. When used as a partitive numeral, these forms can be pluralized: one seventh, two ''sevenths''. The sole exceptions to this rule are division by one, two, and sometimes four: "first" and "second" cannot be used for a fraction with a denominator of one or two. Instead, "whole" and "half" (plural "halves") are used. For a fraction with a denominator of four, either "fourth" or "quarter" may be used.

Here are some common English [[fraction (mathematics)|fraction]]s, or partitive numerals:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sil.org/LINGUISTICS/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAPartitiveNumeral.htm|title=What is a partitive numeral?}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{100}}</math>
|one one-hundredth
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{2}{100}}</math>
|two one-hundredths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{3}{100}}</math> 
|three one-hundredths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{200}}</math>
|one two-hundredth
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{2}{200}}</math>
|two two-hundredths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{3}{200}}</math>
|three two-hundredths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{16}}</math>
|one-sixteenth
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{10}}</math> or 0.1
|one-tenth
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{8}}</math>
|one-eighth
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{2}{10}}</math> or 0.2
|two-tenths'' or '' one-fifth
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{4}}</math>
|one-quarter'' or ''one-fourth
|-
|<math>\tfrac{3}{10}</math> or 0.3
|three-tenths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{3}}</math>
|one-third
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{3}{8}}</math>
|three-eighths
|-
|<math>\tfrac{4}{10}</math> or 0.4
|four-tenths ''or'' two-fifths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{1}{2}}</math>
|[[one-half]]
|-
|<math>\tfrac{6}{10}</math> or 0.6
|six-tenths ''or'' three-fifths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{5}{8}}</math>
|five-eighths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{2}{3}}</math>
|two-thirds
|-
|<math>\tfrac{7}{10}</math> or 0.7
|seven-tenths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{3}{4}}</math>
|three-quarters ''or'' three-fourths
|-
|<math>\tfrac{8}{10}</math> or 0.8
|eight-tenths ''or'' four-fifths
|-
|<math>{\tfrac{7}{8}}</math>
|seven-eighths
|-
|<math>\tfrac{9}{10}</math> or 0.9
|nine-tenths
|-
|<math>\tfrac{15}{16}</math>
|fifteen-sixteenths
|}
Alternatively, and for greater numbers, one may say for {{frac|1|2}} "one over two", for {{frac|5|8}} "five over eight", and so on. This "over" form is also widely used in mathematics.

Fractions together with an integer are read as follows:

*{{frac|1|1|2}} is "one and a half"
*{{frac|6|1|4}} is "six and a quarter"
*{{frac|7|5|8}} is "seven and five eighths"

A space is placed to mark the boundary between the whole number and the fraction part unless [[superscript]]s and [[subscript]]s are used; for example:

* 9 1/2
* {{frac|9|1|2}}
* {{sfrac|9|1|2}}

Numbers with a [[decimal point]] may be read as a [[cardinal number]], then "and", then another cardinal number followed by an indication of the significance of the second cardinal number (mainly U.S.); or as a cardinal number, followed by "point", and then by the digits of the fractional part. The indication of significance takes the form of the denominator of the fraction indicating division by the smallest power of ten larger than the second cardinal. This is modified when the first cardinal is zero, in which case neither the zero nor the "and" is pronounced, but the zero is optional in the "point" form of the fraction.

Some American and Canadian schools teach students to pronounce decimaly written fractions (for example, ''.5'') as though they were longhand fractions (''five tenths''), such as ''thirteen and seven tenths'' for 13.7. This formality is often dropped in common speech and is steadily disappearing in instruction in mathematics and science as well as in international American schools. In the U.K., and among most North Americans, 13.7 would be read ''thirteen point seven''.

For example:

*0.002 is "point zero zero two", "point oh oh two", "nought point zero zero two", etc.; or "two thousandths" (U.S., occasionally)
*3.1416 is "three point one four one six"
*99.3 is "ninety-nine point three"; or "ninety-nine and three tenths" (U.S., occasionally).

In English the decimal point was originally printed in the center of the line (0·002), but with the advent of the typewriter it was placed at the bottom of the line, so that a single key could be used as a full stop/period and as a decimal point. In many non-English languages a full-stop/period at the bottom of the line is used as a thousands separator with a comma being used as the decimal point.