Weird Question

CLAWS · 22 May 2007 at 15:18

Hi Folks,

Very weird question this one. When you represent the date in the format - 1st, 2nd, 2rd - what are the extensions "st", "nd" and "rd" called.

Is there even a name for these?

Completely random I know, but Im helping a lawyer at my workplace with a document and we need to know.

Any help is much appreciated. Tried googling but just getting a whole heap of junk. Ill keep trying of course, but if anyone has any ideas please post.

elevenseventysix · 22 May 2007 at 15:19

You're right. This is a weird question.

Good luck, sorry I can't help.

Dracata · 22 May 2007 at 15:20

They are know as 'Ordinals'

the Ordinal of 1 is 1st or first, the Ordinal of 2 is 2nd/second etc..

Majago · 22 May 2007 at 15:22

They're the ordinals of the numbers and the 'nd', 'st' etc. could I suppose be classed as suffixes.

Azagoth · 22 May 2007 at 15:30

I'd have just called them abbreviations!

SGCWill · 22 May 2007 at 15:38

Dracata said:
They are know as 'Ordinals'

the Ordinal of 1 is 1st or first, the Ordinal of 2 is 2nd/second etc..

Keltyx · 22 May 2007 at 15:41

First
Second
Thirrd
Fourth
Fifth

Suffixes seems to fit the bill.

Angus-Higgins · 22 May 2007 at 15:48

There is a guy in my English class (this is top set by the way [which makes it even more amusing]) who thinks that if you have a fraction thus:

1/22

One must say "one twenty-twoth".

I couldn't believe it at first, but he is adamant that this is the correct way of saying it.

Although, having said this, he would quite easily say "one third", so it is strange how "one twenty-third" (for example) is such an alien concept to him.

Angus Higgins

elevenseventysix · 22 May 2007 at 16:08

Angus-Higgins said:
One must say "one twenty-twoth".

I hope he doesn't have a lisp!

CLAWS · 22 May 2007 at 18:00

You guys are genius. Many thanks folks!