American Numbers and Prices


Remember that in English, we divide prices at the decimal point.

    For example:

    $4.59

    four dollars (and) fifty-nine cents

    four / fifty nine

    (long way)

    (short way)

    (Time is also divided in a similar way: 12:47 is said "twelve / forty-seven")


Americans often say large numbers in "phrases" of two digits.

    For example:

    267

    4381

    two hundred sixty-seven
    two / sixty seven
    four thousand three hundred eighty-one
    forty-three / eighty-one

    (long way)
    (short way)

 

Some people also use two-digit phrasing with telephone numbers:

    565-8347

    five-six-five // eighty-three / forty-seven

     

Practice the following prices (both long and short ways) with a partner:

That will be____(price)______
That comes to ____(price)____

$59.65
$27.95
$14.40

$1.79*
$6.75
$77.17

$29.00**
$82.03
$70.50

$425.78
$781.34
$211.54

$231.49
$690.42
$380.18

$3,657.88
$9,405.31
$1,550.15

*Also: a dollar seventy-nine
**Also: twenty-nine (dollars) even

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