Time is at the center of our daily lives, and being able to talk about it fluently in English is essential. In this unit, you’ll learn how to use cardinal numbers (1, 2, 3…) and ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd…) to talk about age, prices, quantities, and dates. We’ll also cover how to say the date in both British and American English, how to tell the time, and how to use prepositions like on, in, and at to speak about time with precision.
You’ll become comfortable with days of the week, months, and key expressions for talking about appointments, schedules, and everyday routines. By the end of the unit, you’ll be able to ask and answer questions like “What time is it?”, “When is your birthday?”, and “What’s the date today?”—vital skills for navigating both personal and professional situations.

5.1 CARDINAL NUMBERS (1–1,000,000)
Objective:
To learn how to say, understand, and use cardinal numbers in English from 1 to 1,000,000 in real-life contexts such as age, prices, quantities, and dates.

🔢 WHAT ARE CARDINAL NUMBERS?
Cardinal numbers are numbers used for counting and expressing quantity:
one, two, three…
twenty, fifty, one hundred…
They are not used to indicate order (that’s what ordinal numbers do — see 5.2).

🔹 NUMBERS 1–20 (IRREGULAR PATTERNS)
Number    Word
1    one
2    two
3    three
4    four
5    five
6    six
7    seven
8    eight
9    nine
10    ten
11    eleven
12    twelve
13    thirteen
14    fourteen
15    fifteen
16    sixteen
17    seventeen
18    eighteen
19    nineteen
20    twenty
⚠ From 13–19, most end in -teen, with stress on the second syllable: thirTEEN, fifTEEN

🔸 TENS AND BEYOND
Tens    Number Words
30    thirty
40    forty (no “u”!)
50    fifty
60    sixty
70    seventy
80    eighty
90    ninety
100    one hundred
1,000    one thousand
1,000,000    one million
To combine numbers:
twenty-one, thirty-five, ninety-nine
one hundred and twenty (UK) / one hundred twenty (US)

🔸 LARGE NUMBER STRUCTURE
Number    Word Form
150    one hundred (and) fifty
1,250    one thousand two hundred fifty
25,000    twenty-five thousand
300,000    three hundred thousand
1,000,000    one million
✅ “And” is optional in American English, common in British English.

🔹 USES OF CARDINAL NUMBERS
•    Age: I’m 28 years old.
•    Money: It costs fifty dollars.
•    Time/Date: She was born in two thousand and five.
•    Counting: There are twenty students in the class.
•    Phone numbers / IDs: Spoken digit by digit → six-zero-nine…

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction
One hundred and one thousands    One hundred one thousand or one hundred thousand
Two hundreds    Two hundred (no “s” after “hundred” with numbers)
One million(s)    One million ✅ / Millions of people ✅

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Sophie: How many people live in your hometown?
Marco: Around three hundred thousand, I think.
Sophie: Wow, that’s a lot. Mine has only about twenty thousand.
Marco: That’s nice, though—probably more peaceful.
Sophie: True. By the way, how old are you?
Marco: I’m twenty-nine. You?
Sophie: Thirty-two. You wouldn’t guess, right?
Marco: Not at all. I thought you were twenty-five!

5.2 ORDINAL NUMBERS (1ST, 2ND, ETC.)
Objective:
To learn how to form and use ordinal numbers in English to indicate position, ranking, and dates, and distinguish them clearly from cardinal numbers.

🔢 WHAT ARE ORDINAL NUMBERS?
Ordinal numbers show position or order rather than quantity.
first, second, third…
10th, 21st, 100th…
They are used to indicate:
Order in a list: the third floor
Dates: January 1st
Races or competitions: He finished second
Rank: the 5th largest city

🔹 IRREGULAR ORDINALS 1ST–3RD
Number    Ordinal Word    Abbreviation
1    first    1st
2    second    2nd
3    third    3rd
These don’t follow a regular pattern and must be memorized.

🔸 REGULAR ORDINALS 4TH AND BEYOND
Number    Ordinal Word    Abbreviation
4    fourth    4th
5    fifth    5th
6    sixth    6th
7    seventh    7th
8    eighth    8th
9    ninth    9th
10    tenth    10th
Most are formed by adding -th to the cardinal number.

🔹 SPELLING NOTES
Five → fifth (drop “e”)
Nine → ninth (drop “e”)
Twelve → twelfth (irregular)
Twenty-one → twenty-first (match last digit)

🔸 COMPOUND ORDINALS
For numbers like 21, 32, 45… only the last part takes the ordinal ending.
Number    Ordinal Word
21    twenty-first
32    thirty-second
45    forty-fifth
100    one hundredth

🔹 USING ORDINALS IN CONTEXT
Context    Example
Dates    Her birthday is on July 4th.
Addresses    He lives on the third floor.
Ranking    They came in second place.
Events    It’s the 20th anniversary.
✅ For dates in spoken English, we say the ordinal:
April third → April 3rd

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction    Why?
The four floor    The fourth floor    Use ordinal for position
He finished in the three place    He finished in third place    Ordinals, not cardinals, for rank
Today is June fifteen    Today is June fifteenth    Dates use ordinal numbers

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Amy: What’s your apartment number again?
Ben: I’m on the fifth floor—apartment 503.
Amy: Oh, mine’s on the second. Just two floors below.
Ben: Nice! By the way, are you going to the event on the 18th?
Amy: The 18th of this month? Yes, it’s my cousin’s birthday too.
Ben: Cool! It’ll be my third time attending. Always a great time.

5.3 SAYING THE DATE IN ENGLISH (BRITISH VS. AMERICAN)
Objective:
To learn how to correctly say and write dates in English, including the differences between British and American formats, and how to use ordinal numbers in spoken dates.

📆 PARTS OF A DATE
A full date in English usually includes:
•    Day (number)
•    Month (capitalized)
Year
Example: 14 February 2024 (British) / February 14, 2024 (American)

🔹 BRITISH VS. AMERICAN FORMATS
Format    Written Example    Spoken Example
British English    14 February 2024    the fourteenth of February, twenty twenty-four
American English    February 14, 2024    February fourteenth, twenty twenty-four
📌 British = Day – Month – Year
📌 American = Month – Day – Year
🔸 SPOKEN DATES: ORDINALS + "OF" (BRITISH) VS. NO "OF" (AMERICAN)
Type    Example
British    the fifth of May
American    May fifth
✅ In both cases, use ordinal numbers (not cardinals).

🔹 SAYING THE YEAR
Year    Pronunciation
1995    nineteen ninety-five
2000    two thousand
2007    two thousand and seven (BrE) / two thousand seven (AmE)
2012    twenty twelve
2024    twenty twenty-four

🔸 PREPOSITIONS USED WITH DATES
Expression Type    Preposition    Example
Specific date    on    on the 10th of June / on June 10th
Month only    in    in July
Year only    in    in 2022
Day of the week    on    on Monday

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction    Explanation
Today is 5 of April    Today is the 5th of April (BrE) / April 5th (AmE)    
In 25th of December    On the 25th of December    Use “on” with dates
I was born in July 15    I was born on July 15th    Full dates need “on”

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Anna: When’s your birthday?
Noah: It’s on the twelfth of September. And yours?
Anna: July twenty-third. I always take the day off.
Noah: Nice! Are you doing anything special this year?
Anna: Yeah, I’m planning a trip for the weekend of the 21st.
Noah: Sounds perfect—July’s a great time to travel.

5.4 TALKING ABOUT AGE AND QUANTITIES
Objective:
To accurately express age and various quantities in English, using correct grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure for both countable and uncountable nouns.

👶 TALKING ABOUT AGE
In English, we use the verb “to be”, not “to have”, to express age.
Structure    Example
Subject + to be + number + years old    I’m 32 years old.
How old + to be + subject?    How old is she? → She’s 24.
❗ Avoid: I have 30 years → Say: I’m 30 years old.
You can also omit “years old” in casual speech:
He’s five.
I’m almost twenty.

🔢 TALKING ABOUT QUANTITIES
Use different expressions depending on whether the noun is countable or uncountable.
🔹 COUNTABLE NOUNS
Can be counted with numbers → books, apples, chairs
Expression    Example
a few    There are a few chairs in the room.
many    How many students are there?
several    We visited several museums.
a couple of    I bought a couple of shirts.

🔸 UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Cannot be counted individually → water, sugar, information
Expression    Example
a little    We need a little sugar.
much    There isn’t much time.
a bit of    He added a bit of milk.
some    Would you like some juice?

🔹 TALKING ABOUT QUANTITY WITH NUMBERS
Type    Example
Countable    There are 20 people in the room.
Uncountable    She drank two glasses of water.
Containers/Units    A bottle of oil, a slice of bread
✅ Use unit words with uncountable nouns when quantifying them:
two cups of rice
three pieces of advice

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction    Why?
I have 27 years    I am 27 years old    Age uses “to be” in English
How much apples do you have?    How many apples do you have?    “Apples” = countable → many
There are a lot of furniture    There is a lot of furniture    “Furniture” = uncountable
I need some advices    I need some advice    “Advice” is uncountable

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Ella: How old are your kids now?
Jonas: My daughter is five and my son is three. They’re growing fast.
Ella: I bet! I’ve only got one—he’s two and full of energy.
Jonas: I remember those days. How many hours of sleep are you getting?
Ella: Not many! Just a few, to be honest.
Jonas: Same here. We need a lot of coffee and a little patience.

5.5 TELLING THE TIME (HOURS, MINUTES, A.M./P.M.)
Objective:
To learn how to ask for and tell the time in English accurately, using both the 12-hour clock and 24-hour clock, and express time-related situations in daily conversation.

⏰ ASKING THE TIME
Question    Example Response
What time is it?    It’s two o’clock.
Do you have the time?    Yes, it’s half past five.
Could you tell me the time?    Sure, it’s a quarter to nine.

🔹 EXPRESSING THE HOUR (O’CLOCK)
Use “o’clock” for full hours only:
It’s one o’clock.
She arrives at seven o’clock.
⚠ Don't use "o’clock" with minutes: It’s five fifteen ❌

🔸 EXPRESSING MINUTES PAST OR TO
Time    Say…
5:10    ten past five
4:20    twenty past four
6:30    half past six
8:45    a quarter to nine
11:50    ten to twelve
✅ “Past” = after the hour
✅ “To” = before the next hour

🔹 EXACT TIME FORMATS
Time    Say…
9:00    nine o’clock
9:05    nine oh five
9:15    nine fifteen / a quarter past nine
9:30    nine thirty / half past nine
9:45    nine forty-five / a quarter to ten

🌓 USING A.M. AND P.M.
To avoid confusion with morning and afternoon times, use:
•    a.m. → from midnight to noon (12:00 a.m. – 11:59 a.m.)
•    p.m. → from noon to midnight (12:00 p.m. – 11:59 p.m.)
Time    Meaning
6:00 a.m.    early morning
12:00 p.m.    noon
6:00 p.m.    evening
12:00 a.m.    midnight
In spoken English, people often say:
in the morning, in the afternoon, at night instead of a.m./p.m.

🧭 THE 24-HOUR CLOCK
Used in transport, timetables, and the military.
12-Hour    24-Hour
2:00 p.m.    14:00
7:45 a.m.    07:45
11:30 p.m.    23:30
Midnight    00:00
✅ Say: fourteen hundred (14:00), or fourteen oh five (14:05)

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction    Why?
It is four and half    It’s half past four    Use “half past”
It’s five and fifteen    It’s five fifteen or a quarter past five    
I go to bed at eleven of the night    I go to bed at eleven p.m. or at night    Don’t use “of the night”

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Leo: What time does the train leave?
Nina: At twenty past six. So we need to be there by six o’clock.
Leo: Got it. And what time is your meeting tomorrow?
Nina: At half past nine in the morning.
Leo: That’s early. Mine is at a quarter to twelve.
Nina: Lucky you! I have to wake up at 6 a.m. to get ready.

5.6 DAYS OF THE WEEK AND MONTHS
Objective:
To learn the names, order, and correct usage of the days of the week and months of the year in English, including capitalization, prepositions, and pronunciation.

📅 DAYS OF THE WEEK
Day    Abbreviation
Monday    Mon
Tuesday    Tue
Wednesday    Wed
Thursday    Thu
Friday    Fri
Saturday    Sat
Sunday    Sun
✅ Always capitalize days in English.
✅ The week starts on Sunday in U.S. calendars; Monday in most other countries.

🔹 TALKING ABOUT DAYS
Use the preposition “on” with days:
I work on Mondays.
She has yoga class on Thursday.
Our meeting is on Sunday morning.
To talk about repetition, use the plural form:
He plays football on Saturdays.
They study English on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

🔸 COMMON TIME PHRASES WITH DAYS
Phrase    Meaning
every Monday    each Monday of the week
last Friday    the most recent Friday
next Sunday    the upcoming Sunday
this Wednesday    the Wednesday of the current week

📆 MONTHS OF THE YEAR
Month    Abbreviation
January    Jan
February    Feb
March    Mar
April    Apr
May    May
June    Jun
July    Jul
August    Aug
September    Sep
October    Oct
November    Nov
December    Dec
✅ Months are always capitalized in English.
✅ In is the preposition used with months: in April, in December

🔹 TALKING ABOUT DATES WITH DAYS AND MONTHS
Combine day and date:
Our class is on Monday, March 18th.
My birthday is on Saturday, July 1st.
Use “in” for general reference:
She was born in August.
We’re going skiing in January.

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction    Why?
I have class the Monday.    I have class on Monday.    No article before days
He was born on April.    He was born in April.    “On” is for specific dates, not months
In Monday I work late.    On Monday I work late.    Use “on” with days

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Tom: Do you work every day?
Sara: Not every day. I work from Monday to Friday, and sometimes on Saturdays.
Tom: Lucky you. I work Sundays too.
Sara: Ouch. Are you taking any time off this month?
Tom: Yes, I’m on vacation in October. I’m going away the second week.
Sara: Nice! I’m going away in December. I love winter holidays.

5.7 PREPOSITIONS OF TIME: "ON", "IN", "AT"
Objective:
To learn how to correctly use the prepositions on, in, and at when talking about time expressions related to days, months, specific times, and general periods.

🧭 OVERVIEW OF PREPOSITIONS
Preposition    Used For…    Example
on    Specific days and dates    on Monday, on July 4th
in    Months, years, centuries, parts of the day    in June, in 1995, in the morning
at    Specific times, holidays, and certain phrases    at 6 p.m., at Christmas, at night

🔹 “ON” – DAYS AND SPECIFIC DATES
Use on with:
Days of the week: on Sunday, on Thursdays
Specific dates: on October 1st
Special days: on my birthday, on New Year’s Day
Day + part of day: on Monday morning
✅ We’re meeting on Friday.
✅ The party is on June 20th.

🔸 “IN” – LONGER, GENERAL PERIODS
Use in with:
Months: in May
Years: in 2020
Decades/Centuries: in the 90s, in the 18th century
Seasons: in winter, in summer
Parts of the day: in the afternoon, in the evening
✅ She was born in July.
✅ We always travel in spring.
❗Exception: at night, not in the night

🔹 “AT” – EXACT TIMES AND FIXED EXPRESSIONS
Use at with:
Clock times: at 3:00, at noon
Holidays (without "day"): at Christmas, at Easter
Phrases: at night, at the weekend (BrE), at lunchtime, at midnight
✅ The meeting is at 10 a.m.
✅ We open at night.

🧱 SUMMARY TABLE
Time Expression    Preposition    Example
Monday    on    on Monday
July    in    in July
6:00 p.m.    at    at 6:00 p.m.
night    at    at night
2024    in    in 2024
Sunday morning    on    on Sunday morning
the weekend (BrE)    at    at the weekend
New Year’s Day    on    on New Year’s Day
Christmas    at    at Christmas

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction    Explanation
In Monday I work late.    On Monday I work late.    Use “on” with days
We meet in 5 p.m.    We meet at 5 p.m.    Use “at” for clock times
I was born on 1990.    I was born in 1990.    Use “in” with years
At the morning I study.    In the morning I study.    Use “in” for morning, not “at”

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Luis: Are you free on Friday evening?
Maya: I might be. What time?
Luis: At 7:30. There’s a concert in the park.
Maya: Sounds fun. Is it this Friday or next Friday?
Luis: This Friday, on the 14th.
Maya: Okay, let me check. I think I’m traveling in the morning but I’ll be free at night.
Luis: Great! Let me know by Thursday afternoon.

5.8 TALKING ABOUT SCHEDULES AND APPOINTMENTS
Objective:
To describe and ask about schedules and appointments using correct time expressions, verbs, and sentence structures in the present simple tense.

📅 TALKING ABOUT REGULAR SCHEDULES
Use the present simple to talk about activities that happen regularly or according to a timetable:
Expression Type    Example
Days of the week    I work on Mondays and Thursdays.
Times    She starts work at 9 a.m.
Frequency    We have class every Tuesday.
Durations    The meeting lasts two hours.
✅ Common verbs: start, begin, finish, end, take, last, happen, open, close

🔹 MAKING APPOINTMENTS
Use “have” or “make” for appointments:
I have a dentist appointment at 3:00 p.m.
Can we make an appointment for next Thursday?
They have a meeting scheduled for 10 a.m.
Use polite expressions to confirm or propose times:
Does 2:30 work for you?
Would 10 o’clock be okay?
What time is good for you?

🔸 COMMON VOCABULARY FOR SCHEDULES
Phrase    Example
meeting    I have a meeting at 11 a.m.
class / lesson    Our English class is at 5 p.m.
appointment    She has a doctor’s appointment today.
shift    He works the night shift.
deadline    The deadline is on Monday.
timetable / calendar    Let me check my calendar.

🧠 USEFUL QUESTIONS
Question    Use Case
What time does it start?    Confirming schedule
How long does it last?    Asking for duration
What’s your schedule like this week?    Asking availability
Are you available on Friday?    Setting appointments

❗ COMMON MISTAKES
Mistake    Correction    Why?
I have a meeting the 3 p.m.    I have a meeting at 3 p.m.    Use “at” for specific times
She has a class in Monday morning.    She has a class on Monday morning.    Use “on” with days
What hour is your appointment?    What time is your appointment?    Say “time,” not “hour” in this context

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Zara: Do you have any time free on Wednesday?
Ethan: Let me see... I have a client meeting at 10 and another one at 3.
Zara: What about lunchtime? Maybe 12:30?
Ethan: That works. Let’s meet at the café across the street.
Zara: Perfect. How long do you think you’ll be free?
Ethan: About an hour—my next meeting starts at 2.

5.9 UNIT 5 REVIEW
Objective:
To consolidate all the key language points from Unit 5, including numbers, dates, time, and time-related expressions, and apply them in natural conversation.

📘 WHAT YOU LEARNED IN THIS UNIT
🔢 CARDINAL NUMBERS (1–1,000,000)

Used for counting and quantities
twenty-one, one hundred fifty, two thousand
No “s” in hundred or thousand after a number → three hundred, not three hundreds

🔢 ORDINAL NUMBERS (1ST, 2ND, ETC.)
Used for dates, ranking, positions
the third of July, June 21st, He finished second

📅 SAYING THE DATE
•    British: the 5th of May, 2024
American: May 5th, 2024
Always use ordinal numbers in speech

⏰ TELLING THE TIME
half past six, a quarter to nine, seven thirty
Use a.m. / p.m. or in the morning, at night
Use “at” for times: at 5:00, at noon

🗓️ DAYS AND MONTHS
Always capitalized in English
Use “on” for days: on Monday, on Christmas Day
Use “in” for months: in October

⌚ PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
•    on → specific days and dates
•    in → months, years, parts of the day
•    at → clock times and fixed phrases (at midnight)
•    
📆 TALKING ABOUT SCHEDULES AND APPOINTMENTS
Use present simple: My class starts at 9.
Express duration: The meeting lasts one hour.
Make polite arrangements: Are you free on Tuesday?

🎧 LISTENING AND PRONUNCIATION
Focus on teen vs. -ty, stress in numbers
Understand spoken dates and times
Practice linking and contractions: It’s at eight.

💬 EXAMPLE DIALOG
Tanya: Do you have a minute to talk about the schedule for next week?
Mark: Sure! What day are we starting the new project?
Tanya: On Monday the 13th, at nine a.m. sharp.
Mark: Got it. And how long is the kickoff meeting?
Tanya: Just one hour. We’ll finish by ten. After that, there’s a workshop at eleven.
Mark: Sounds packed. What about the review session?
Tanya: That’s scheduled for Thursday the 16th at 3:30 p.m.
Mark: Perfect. I’ll block those times in my calendar.