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Exercises on Ordinal Numbers in English
15.10.2025
3 minutes to read
Want to finally understand the difference between thirty-first and thirteen, why some numbers add -th while others don't, and how to correctly pronounce dates, floors, or competition locations? Then this collection is just for you!
Ordinal numbers in English are an indispensable topic in everyday speech: they appear in addresses, dates, house numbers, movie episodes, and even shopping lists.
Here you'll find 5 practical exercises with answers, examples, and explanations to help you learn and reinforce all the features of ordinal number formation and use.
Ordinal numbers in English are an indispensable topic in everyday speech: they appear in addresses, dates, house numbers, movie episodes, and even shopping lists.
Here you'll find 5 practical exercises with answers, examples, and explanations to help you learn and reinforce all the features of ordinal number formation and use.
Table of contents
🎯 Objective:
Learn how to correctly form ordinal numbers in English and remember the exceptions.
Ordinal numbers indicate the order of objects in a row: the first, the second, the third...
Most are formed by adding the suffix -th, but there are exceptions:
one → first
two → second
three → third
five → fifth
eight → eighth
nine → ninth
twelve → twelfth
💡 Example:
It's my first day at school.
He lives on the tenth floor.
📘 Explanation:
Compound ordinal numbers (e.g., 21, 32, 45) are formed by adding the suffix -th to the last number only:
→ twenty-first, thirty-second, forty-fifth.
✏️ Tasks:
✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.
Learn how to correctly form ordinal numbers in English and remember the exceptions.
Ordinal numbers indicate the order of objects in a row: the first, the second, the third...
Most are formed by adding the suffix -th, but there are exceptions:
one → first
two → second
three → third
five → fifth
eight → eighth
nine → ninth
twelve → twelfth
💡 Example:
It's my first day at school.
He lives on the tenth floor.
📘 Explanation:
Compound ordinal numbers (e.g., 21, 32, 45) are formed by adding the suffix -th to the last number only:
→ twenty-first, thirty-second, forty-fifth.
✏️ Tasks:
- one →
- two →
- three →
- five →
- six →
- eight →
- nine →
- twelve →
- twenty-one →
- thirty →
- forty-two →
- fifty-five →
- sixty →
- seventy-three →
- one hundred →
✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.
Exercise 1: Form ordinal numbers from cardinal numbers
Exercise 2: Choose the correct option (ordinal numbers test)
🎯 Objective:
To reinforce knowledge of how to use ordinal numbers in sentences involving dates, floors, competitions, and sequences.
This exercise will help you distinguish between cardinal and ordinal numbers and use them correctly in context.
💡 Example:
My birthday is on the twenty-fourth of June.
Our classroom is on the third floor.
📘 Explanation:
Ordinal numbers are almost always preceded by the article "the" because they specify a specific order or location.
To reinforce knowledge of how to use ordinal numbers in sentences involving dates, floors, competitions, and sequences.
This exercise will help you distinguish between cardinal and ordinal numbers and use them correctly in context.
💡 Example:
My birthday is on the twenty-fourth of June.
Our classroom is on the third floor.
📘 Explanation:
Ordinal numbers are almost always preceded by the article "the" because they specify a specific order or location.
Answer the questions by choosing one correct option.
Exercise 2
Today is my ___ day at work.
Right!
Incorrect
Incorrect
She lives on the ___ floor.
Right!
Incorrect
Incorrect
February is the ___ month of the year.
Incorrect
Incorrect
Right!
He came ___ in the race.
Right!
Incorrect
Incorrect
This is the ___ time I’ve told you!
Incorrect
Right!
Incorrect
My office is on the ___ floor.
Incorrect
Incorrect
Right!
We met on the ___ of March.
Incorrect
Incorrect
Right!
She finished ___ in the competition.
Incorrect
Incorrect
Right!
His birthday is on the ___ of July.
Right
Right
Incorrect
The classroom is on the ___ floor.
Incorrect
Right
Incorrect
I read the ___ chapter of the book.
Incorrect
Incorrect
Right!
They live on the ___ floor.
Right!
Incorrect
Incorrect
This is the ___ lesson of the course.
Incorrect
Incorrect
Right!
He won the ___ prize.
Incorrect
Right!
Incorrect
The ___ day of the week is Sunday.
Right!
Incorrect
Incorrect
You have a good grasp of the topic!
Ordinal numbers are no problem for you: you use them correctly in dates, addresses, competitions, and other contexts. Try making the task more challenging by using them in speech patterns and long sentences: "It's the third time I've seen this movie."
A very good result.
You understand the topic, but you can still build your confidence. Review the formation of complex numbers—twenty-first, thirty-second, forty-third—and pay attention to pronunciation.
Don't worry!
Ordinal numbers are often confused, even by long-time English speakers. Go through the exercises again, write out the difficult examples, and repeat them out loud. Trust me, after a couple of days of repetition, you'll start using them automatically
Exercise 3: Insert the correct ordinal number
🎯 Objective:
Learn to insert ordinal numbers into sentence contexts and coordinate them correctly.
💡 Example:
He finished in second place.
Today is the first of April.
📘 Explanation:
Ordinal numbers are often used with:
dates (the fourth of July),
floors (the sixth floor),
order of actions (the first step, the second example).
✏️ Tasks:
✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.
Learn to insert ordinal numbers into sentence contexts and coordinate them correctly.
💡 Example:
He finished in second place.
Today is the first of April.
📘 Explanation:
Ordinal numbers are often used with:
dates (the fourth of July),
floors (the sixth floor),
order of actions (the first step, the second example).
✏️ Tasks:
- This is my ___ English lesson.
- She lives on the ___ floor.
- His birthday is on the ___ of May.
- We finished ___ in the marathon.
- It’s the ___ chapter of the book.
- The shop is on the ___ floor.
- My brother was born on the ___ of January.
- This is our ___ meeting.
- He finished the test ___ of all.
- Today is the ___ of September.
- I watched the ___ episode yesterday.
- They arrived on the ___ of August.
- It’s the ___ question in the test.
- My apartment is on the ___ floor.
- We celebrate Independence Day on the ___ of July.
✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.
Exercise 4: Fill in the Missing Ordinal Numbers
🎯 Objective:
To reinforce the skill of using ordinal numbers with dates, lists, and sequences.
💡 Example:
My office is on the second floor.
Today is the fourteenth of February.
📘 Explanation:
Often, "the" is placed before ordinal numbers, especially when referring to a specific day, place, or step.
✏️ Tasks:
✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.
To reinforce the skill of using ordinal numbers with dates, lists, and sequences.
💡 Example:
My office is on the second floor.
Today is the fourteenth of February.
📘 Explanation:
Often, "the" is placed before ordinal numbers, especially when referring to a specific day, place, or step.
✏️ Tasks:
- I was born on the ___ of April.
- She finished ___ in the race.
- My room is on the ___ floor.
- This is the ___ question on the test.
- He came ___ in the competition.
- We met on the ___ of December.
- It’s the ___ day of the year.
- I watched the ___ episode of the show.
- The office is on the ___ floor.
- They arrived on the ___ of June.
- He lives on the ___ floor.
- Today is the ___ of November.
- It’s our ___ lesson this week.
- She was born on the ___ of August.
- The hotel is on the ___ street.
✅ You will find the answers to all the exercises at the end of the page.
Exercise 5: Choose the correct answer
🎯 Objective:
To test your confidence in recognizing and using ordinal numbers in real-life sentences—such as dates, order of actions, and competitions.
💡 Example:
She came second in the contest.
Our lesson is on the first of June.
📘 Explanation:
This is a final test to reinforce your understanding. Pay attention to the structure "the" + "ordinal number," which is used almost always.
To test your confidence in recognizing and using ordinal numbers in real-life sentences—such as dates, order of actions, and competitions.
💡 Example:
She came second in the contest.
Our lesson is on the first of June.
📘 Explanation:
This is a final test to reinforce your understanding. Pay attention to the structure "the" + "ordinal number," which is used almost always.
Answer the questions by choosing one correct option.
Exercise 5
Today is the ___ of March.
Right!
Incorrect
He finished ___ in the race.
Right!
Incorrect
It’s my ___ English lesson.
Right!
Incorrect
They live on the ___ floor.
Right!
Incorrect
This is the ___ chapter of the book.
Right!
Incorrect
She came ___ in the competition.
Right!
Emma said she has done it.
I was born on the ___ of May.
Right!
Incorrect
We met on the ___ of December.
Incorrect
Right!
He read the ___ paragraph.
Right
Right
The meeting is on the ___ floor.
Incorrect
Right
She finished ___ in line.
Right!
Incorrect
I saw the ___ episode yesterday.
Right!
Incorrect
This is our ___ visit to London.
Right!
Incorrect
His birthday is on the ___ of July.
Right!
Incorrect
We live on the ___ floor.
Right!
Incorrect
You have a good grasp of the topic!
Ordinal numbers are no problem for you: you use them correctly in dates, addresses, competitions, and other contexts. Try making the task more challenging by using them in speech patterns and long sentences: "It's the third time I've seen this movie."
A very good result.
You understand the topic, but you can still build your confidence. Review the formation of complex numbers—twenty-first, thirty-second, forty-third—and pay attention to pronunciation.
Don't worry!
Ordinal numbers are often confused, even by long-time English speakers. Go through the exercises again, write out the difficult examples, and repeat them out loud. Trust me, after a couple of days of repetition, you'll start using them automatically
Answers
- first
- second
- third
- fifth
- sixth
- eighth
- ninth
- twelfth
- twenty-first
- thirtieth
- forty-second
- fifty-fifth
- sixtieth
- seventy-third
- one hundredth
- a
- a
- c
- a
- b
- c
- c
- c
- a
- b
- c
- a
- c
- c
- a
- first
- third
- fifth
- second
- fourth
- sixth
- twelfth
- third
- first
- twenty-first
- ninth
- thirtieth
- tenth
- seventh
- fourth
- twelfth
- first
- fourth
- tenth
- third
- twenty-fourth
- hundredth
- fifth
- sixth
- fifteenth
- second
- thirtieth
- third
- seventeenth
- first
- a
- a
- a
- a
- a
- a
- a
- b
- b
- b
- a
- a
- a
- a
- a
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