Numeral it is the word that quantifies beings or indicates their position in a given order.
When you only name the number of beings, the numeral is called cardinal:
one two Three
fifty hundred hundred thousand
When you indicate the order that the being occupies in a series, the numeral is called ordinal:
first second Third
fiftieth hundredth thousandth
You multiplicative numerals express proportional increases in quantity, indicating numbers that are multiples of others:
double triple quad
You fractional numerals indicate the proportional decrease in quantity, its fractionation:
half one third one tenth
You collective numerals designate sets of beings and indicate the exact number of individuals that make up the set:
ten fifteen dozen
hundred thousand thousand
Inflections of numerals
The cardinal numerals that vary in gender are one/one, two/two and those indicating hundreds of two hundred/two hundred onwards: three hundred/three hundred; four hundred/four hundred etc.
Cardinals like million, billion, trillion etc. they vary in number: millions, billions, trillions, etc.
The other cardinals are invariant.
Ordinal numerals vary in gender and number:
first second thousandth / first second thousandths
first second thousandth / first second thousandth
Multiplicative numerals are invariant when acting on substantive functions:
did the double of the effort and they got the triple of production.
When acting in adjective functions, these numerals are inflected in gender and number:
had to take doses triples of the drug.
Fractional numerals inflect in gender and number:
one third two thirds
one third part two thirds
Collective numerals inflect in number:
a dozen a thousand
two dozen two thousand
Use of numerals
• To designate popes, kings, emperors, centuries and parts into which a work is divided, ordinals are used up to the tenth and from then on cardinals, provided that the numeral comes after the noun:
cardinal ordinals
John Paul II (second) Volume XV (fifteen)
D. Pedro II (second) Louis XVI (sixteen)
8th (eighth) century 20th (twenty) century
Canto IX (ninth) John XXIII (twenty-three)
• To designate laws, decrees and ordinances, the ordinal up to ninth and the cardinal from ten onwards are used.
Article 1 (first) Article 10 (ten)
Article 9 (ninth) Article 21 (twenty one)
• To designate days of the month, cardinals are used, except for the indication of the first day, which is traditionally done by the ordinal:
we arrived day two of September.
we arrived day first from December.
• Both/both are considered numerals. They mean "one and the other", "the two" (or "one and the other", "the two") and are widely used to resume pairs of beings to which reference has already been made:
Peter and John seem to have finally realized the importance of solidarity.
Both now participate in community activities in their neighborhood.
The form “both both” is considered emphatic. Currently, its use indicates affectation, artificiality.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
By Marina Cabral
Graduated in Letters - Specialist in Portuguese Language and Literature
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Marina Cabral da. "Numbers"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/numerais.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
