S/O Numbers over 100

[maize]

So I was interested to learn that conventions vary in different parts of the English speaking world, and that dropping the "and" from numbers over 100 is apparently a purely American convention.I know I grew up using "and" as part of these numbers (or more often the shortened "n") and I actually suspect it is more common than not to use "and" in daily speech even in the US. Seemed like something a poll could shed some light on.

[VeganCupcake]

I grew up in Canada and I was taught that the "and" meant a decimal point.

[Camelfeet]

I'm Canadian and I kinda mumble the "and". It comes out like hundred'n one.  I was never taught that "and" meant decimal point.  

[shukriyya]

I grew up in Canada and I was taught that the "and" meant a decimal point.

 

I grew up in Canada, too, and was never taught that. What part of Canada? I started with the imperial system and just before middle school the country switched to metric. Perhaps that's got something to with it.

 

Btw, OP, I would use the 'and' as well as just the numbers i.e two fifty three.

[chocolatechip]

I'm from the US. I think I do both. Sometimes I might even just say Two Fifty-Three. . . :leaving:

[Pink and Green Mom]

I am from the US and while I would say "two hundred and fifty three" the math book we use specifically teaches it as two hundred fifty three.  So I say it with the "and" but it is probably not correct to do so.

 

[Belacqua]

I'm from the US and do not include the "and." I attribute this largely to my Grade 6 teacher who hated the "and" with a burning, all-consuming passion. He would impose penalties for using it (wearing his fishing hat for an hour, having to dance to the lunchroom, writing a haiku about proper math terminology...). Most of us learned quickly.

 

And heaven help the kid who used "minus" or "times" as verbs.

[vonfirmath]

I grew up in Canada and I was taught that the "and" meant a decimal point.

 

I grew up in Texas, USA and I trained myself out of saying and after I learned this.

[QueenCat]

I would have to ask if you meant 100.50 or 150 if you said one hundred and fifty if you didn't add the words cents or dollars when using the word "and" in-between the hundred and the fifty.

[LostSurprise]

I'm from the US and do both. 

[msrift]

I'm in the US and iin sloppy day to day speech, I use 'and.' But I also was taught that 'and' means a decimal point so I should know better.

[VeganCupcake]

I grew up in Canada, too, and was never taught that. What part of Canada? I started with the imperial system and just before middle school the country switched to metric. Perhaps that's got something to with it.

 

Btw, OP, I would use the 'and' as well as just the numbers i.e two fifty three.

 

Manitoba, in the 80s. I remember one particular teacher, though I don't remember which or when, emphasizing it. It might just have been a personal pet peeve of his/hers, though. But it stuck for me!

[maize]

See, the fact that math books and teachers in the US spend time teaching against using "and" suggests that it is in fact normal colloquial usage. Which matches my experience.

[Amira]

Dropping the "and" doesn't sound at all weird to me, but I think I usually use it.  Actually, now both sound weird since I keep repeating them in my head. :)

 

I have never heard the decimal thing, so that's what sounds different to me.  

[Wilma]

Two-fifty-three is probably the most common thing I'd say.  But after that it'd be two hundred fifty three.

[maize]

I don't recall that in any math book I've come across. Not as a kid and not now. I've never had a teacher mention it.

I've seen it once or twice in my kids' books, I don't remember anyone bringing it up in my own education though several people here have mentioned math teachers doing so.

[MrsMommy]

I grew up in Canada and I was taught that the "and" meant a decimal point.

 

I'm from the U.S., but I was also taught this. So was dh, and he's a big stickler for it, even more than I am. Drives him crazy to see or hear "and" in numbers where it shouldn't be.

[Loowit]

DH's best friend is a high school math teacher and is big on "and" meaning a decimal.  It is something he spends time with his students correcting. I have also seen in in the math curriculum my kids use.  I had to train myself to drop the "and".

[maize]

It's like prescriptive grammar rules that go against conventional usage (i.e. never split an infinitive, no dangling participles...) Languages change and develop over time and space, if everyone says it and everyone understands it it is not Wrong.

[maize]

We've dabbled in lots, I don't remember where I saw this but the books on my shelf include RightStart, Math-U-See, Math Mammoth, Singapore, Life of Fred, Beast Academy, and Horizons.

[KidsHappen]

I am from Texas and I was also taught that the and stood for a decimal. I also remember covering this again with my kids. I might have been in Mastering Mathematics. I n any case, it really seems to have made no difference as we all say it both ways.

[LucyStoner]

I am from the US and I say them and some other variations pretty much interchangeably.

[Grover]

I would have to ask if you meant 100.50 or 150 if you said one hundred and fifty if you didn't add the words cents or dollars when using the word "and" in-between the hundred and the fifty.

but .50 isn't "50" in any sense - it's 5 tenths. Calling it 50 is mathematically wrong - 50 is five tens.  I come from an "and" using country - there is no way anyone here would ever get 100.50 from "100 and 50"

[Dory]

I'm Canadian and I mumble the and like, two hundred n' fifty-three. I was never taught that 'and' meant a decimal point. If there was a decimal point I would say two hundred n' fifty-three point two. The only time and was used as a decimal point was when talking about money then it was fifty-three dollars AND twenty-two cents.

[Laura Corin]

I'm still not understanding the 'and for a decimal' usage - is it actually spoken?  As in 'two hundred and twenty' meaning 200.20?  Husband, growing up in Texas, never heard that usage spoken - only written on cheques.

 

L

[maize]

I'm still not understanding the 'and for a decimal' usage - is it actually spoken? As in 'two hundred and twenty' meaning 200.20? Husband, growing up in Texas, never heard that usage spoken - only written on cheques.

 

L

I have never heard it used. On checks I would write "Two Hundred and 20/100"

[Crimson Wife]

This was one of my 4th grade teacher's pet peeves, but I never had any other teacher make a big deal out of it.

 

My father-in-law is a retired math teacher and his big pet peeve is what he calls the "gazinta". That is, when verbalizing long division and the student says, "two gazinta eight four times..."

[Laura Corin]

I'm Canadian and I mumble the and like, two hundred n' fifty-three. I was never taught that 'and' meant a decimal point. If there was a decimal point I would say two hundred n' fifty-three point two. The only time and was used as a decimal point was when talking about money then it was fifty-three dollars AND twenty-two cents.

 

Yes.  We say fifty-three pounds and twenty-two pence.  Otherwise we say 'point' before a decimal.

 

L

[maize]

This was one of my 4th grade teacher's pet peeves, but I never had any other teacher make a big deal out of it.

 

My father-in-law is a retired math teacher and his big pet peeve is what he calls the "gazinta". That is, when verbalizing long division and the student says, "two gazinta eight four times..."

LOL, it took me a minute to figure out what "gazinta" meant.

[Kathryn]

I'm Canadian and I mumble the and like, two hundred n' fifty-three. I was never taught that 'and' meant a decimal point. If there was a decimal point I would say two hundred n' fifty-three point two. The only time and was used as a decimal point was when talking about money then it was fifty-three dollars AND twenty-two cents.

This, though I'm not Canadian. And I agree with Laura Corin's posts on the topic too, though I'm not British.

[candicane]

I'm from the US and I say both. Saying 'Two Hundred Fifty-Three' takes longer to process in my mind when I hear it as opposed to 'Two Hundred and Fifty-Three'. I've never once heard 'and' to mean decimal. It's always "point" unless you're talking about money, then it's and XX cents.

[PrincessMommy]

I grew up in Canada and I was taught that the "and" meant a decimal point.

 

grew up in the US and that is what we learned too.

[NotSoObvious]

Another teacher here who learned and taught that the "and" is to indicate a decimal and the correct way to say 102 is "one hundred two."

 

Think about how you write a check. 

 

 

[Arcadia]

Another teacher here who learned and taught that the "and" is to indicate a decimal and the correct way to say 102 is "one hundred two."

 

Think about how you write a check.

The banks here accept the checks without issue when I write "and" for my Citibank and Wells Fargo checks. They only look at the numbers because hubby mis-wrote a check once and it cleared based on the numbers instead of what was written.

 

Hubby write the fraction for cents on a check. I would put "and Cents (cents amount) Only"

[Belacqua]

Hubby write the fraction for cents on a check. I would put "and Cents (cents amount) Only"

 

Interesting...I've never seen "only" on a check. I've just seen the Andamilliondollars Line (that squiggly line after the amount that prevents anyone from adding "and a million dollars").

[maize]

Interesting...I've never seen "only" on a check. I've just seen the Andamilliondollars Line (that squiggly line after the amount that prevents anyone from adding "and a million dollars").

I write only after the dollar amount if there are no cents.

[Arcadia]

Interesting...I've never seen "only" on a check. I've just seen the Andamilliondollars Line (that squiggly line after the amount that prevents anyone from adding "and a million dollars").

It's the UK and AU style apparently. I would also put a "/=" after the numbers, put two diagonal lines on top right corner to cross my check and cross out "or bearer".

[QueenCat]

but .50 isn't "50" in any sense - it's 5 tenths. Calling it 50 is mathematically wrong - 50 is five tens.  I come from an "and" using country - there is no way anyone here would ever get 100.50 from "100 and 50"

 

My thought process was that a word was left off............ but honestly, I can't remember the last time I heard anyone use the word "and" when saying something like "100 and 50", and I haven't heard it often.

[Tohru]

I couldn't vote.  I would say 'two fifty-three'.  In writing a check it would be: two-hundred fifty-three and no cents.

[Grover]

 I would feel awkward saying, "This costs one hundred two dollars" Feels like broken English lol

 

this... it always sounds like broken english to me. 

[Seeking Squirrels]

I don't even know how to vote because I've now said so many numbers in my head in so many variations I'm not quite sure anymore. I think I vary how I say it based on context.

 

I do know I often make and "n" when I do add it.

Five hundred n fifty three

But an enunciated and for fractions

Five hundred n fifty three and one half.

Never and for a decimal

Five hundred n fifty three point five

 

But I think if I'm paying close attention to the number because it's important or something I say all the ands clearly.

One hundred and ninety three thousand, six hundred and forty four.

 

But for money sometimes individual numbers

Five fifty. Context would say whether I meant 550 or 5.50. Unless there was change then it would be four ninety nine ninety nine = 499.99

 

Even when I say hundred I don't think I usually say and for money except for with cents. So three hundred sixty two and twenty cents.

 

So yeah, I don't know how to vote. US.

[Wheres Toto]

I'm still not understanding the 'and for a decimal' usage - is it actually spoken?  As in 'two hundred and twenty' meaning 200.20?  Husband, growing up in Texas, never heard that usage spoken - only written on cheques.

 

L

 

I don't think I understand either.  Do you automatically express any decimal as a fraction?  Is that considered the only correct way?  Because if something is written 455.25 and the person says 4 hundred fifty five and 25/100ths, I would assume it's written as a fraction, not as a decimal.  That seems weird to me.  I would expect "...point 25" to be used in that situation.

 

We use Math Mammoth and some Evan Moor stuff and I don't think they say anything about using "and" in either of those.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I would say two fifty three. Not even a choice. I think you aren't supposed to say the and but I grew up hearing it that way.

[whitestavern]

None of the above? I say two fifty three.

[Melissa in Australia]

I use and, both in written and oral communication of numbers.

 

[kiwik]

Two-fifty-three is probably the most common thing I'd say. But after that it'd be two hundred fifty three.

I would usually say two hundred and fifty three but I would say two fifty three sometimes though that would normally mean 2.53 and refer to money so it would have to be clear I didn't mean that.

[DawnM]

I grew up in Africa, with many British and American folks, and I say it either way.

[DawnM]

Oh, I would like to have a poll on this.  I always, always use a ZERO when telling people my phone number.  There is no "oh" in my number!

 

 

 

 

End of debate ;)

 

One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

 

Wait.. what about college classes like "English 101" where we say "one oh one"? Well that's just another can of worms. "Oh" vs. "zero." Ha

 

[bettyandbob]

I remember an elementary school lesson where we were tested on oral reading of numbers into the millions. We were tested one at a time at the teacher's desk. You could not use "and".

 

For a decimal, like 253.41, I might say:

"Two hundred fifty three and forty one hundredths" or

"Two hundred fifty three point forty one".

 

Once the decimal was more than three places, more than thousandths, I would only say "point."

[Arcadia]

Oh, I would like to have a poll on this. I always, always use a ZERO when telling people my phone number. There is no "oh" in my number!

There is a zero in my area code for my phone number and I use "oh" more often while hubby use "zero". My area has people with SF's 415 area code, SJ's 408 area code and a new area code 669.

 

ETA:

In California, I'll hear people say US101 as one-oh-one, I-880 as eight-eighty, I-680 as six-eighty. Next time I'll take note how my Garmin GPS announce the highway entrances.