Some compound adjectives have adjectives as their first part. Comparatives and superlatives of these compounds are sometimes formed using the comparative and superlative of the adjective.
good-looking
Similarly, some compound adjectives have adverbs as their first part. Their comparatives and superlatives are sometimes formed using the comparative and superlative of the adverb.
well-paid
The comparatives and superlatives of adverbs are explained in paragraphs R150 to R154.
The spelling and pronunciation of possessives
R32 The use of the possessive form of names and other nouns is explained in Chapter 1 (1.211 to 1.221).
R33 The possessive form of a name or other noun is usually formed by adding apostrophe s (’s) to the end.
Ginny’s mother didn’t answer.
Howard came into the editor’s office.
R34 If you are using a plural noun ending in s to refer to the possessor, you just add an apostrophe (’).
I heard the girls’ steps on the stairs.
We often go to publishers’ parties in Bloomsbury.
However, if you are using an irregular plural noun that does not end in s, you add apostrophe s (’s) to the end of it.
It would cost at least three policemen’s salaries per year.
The Equal Pay Act has failed to bring women’s earnings up to the same level.
…children’s birthday parties.
R35 If something belongs to more than one person or thing whose names are linked by and, the apostrophe s (’s) is put after the second name.
…Martin and Tim’s apartment. …Colin and Mary’s wedding.
R36 If you want to say that two people or things each possess part of a group of things, both their names have apostrophe s (’s).
The puppy was a superb blend of his father’s and mother’s best qualities.
R37 When you are using a name that already ends in s, you can simply add an apostrophe, for example St James’ Palace, or you can add apostrophe s (’s), for example St James’s Palace. These spellings are pronounced differently. If you simply add an apostrophe, the pronunciation remains unaltered, whereas if you add apostrophe s (’s), the possessive is pronounced /Iz/.
R38 Apostrophe s (’s) is pronounced differently in different words. It is pronounced
R39 If you are using a compound noun, you add apostrophe s (’s) to the last item in the compound.
He went to his mother-in-law’s house.
The parade assembled in the Detective Constable’s room.
R40 Apostrophe s (’s) can be added to abbreviations and acronyms in the same way as to other words.
He will get a majority of MPs’ votes in both rounds.
He found the BBC’s output, on balance, superior to that of ITV.
The majority of NATO’s members agreed.
Numbers
R41 The uses of cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers, and fractions have been explained in Chapter 2 (2.208 to 2.249). The use of ordinals to express dates is explained in paragraph 4.88. Lists of numbers and details about how to say and write numbers and fractions are given below.
Cardinal numbers
R42 Here is a list of cardinal numbers. The list shows the patterns of forming numbers greater than 20.
0 zero, nought, nothing, oh 5 five 1 one 6 six 2 two 7 seven 3 three 8 eight 4 four 9 nine 10 ten 60 sixty 11 eleven 70 seventy 12 twelve 80 eighty 13 thirteen 90 ninety 14 fourteen 100 a hundred 15 fifteen 101 a hundred and one 16 sixteen 110 a hundred and ten 17 seventeen 120 a hundred and twenty 18 eighteen 200 two hundred 19 nineteen 1000 a thousand 20 twenty 1001 a thousand and one 21 twenty-one 1010 a thousand and ten 22 twenty-two 2000 two thousand 23 twenty-three 10,000 ten thousand 24 twenty-four 100,000 a hundred thousand 25 twenty-five 1,000,000 a million 40 forty 2,000,000 two million 50 fifty 1,000,000,000 a billion
R43 When you say or write in words a number over 100, you put and before the number expressed by the last two figures. For example, 203 is said or written two hundred and three and 2840 is said or written two thousand, eight hundred and forty.
Four hundred and eighteen men were killed and a hundred and seventeen wounded.
…one hundred fifty dollars.
R44 If you want to say or write in words a number between 1000 and 1,000,000, there are various ways of doing it. For example, the number 1872 can be said or written in words as
Note that you cannot use a instead of one for the second way.
The third way is often used to identify something such as a room number. With telephone numbers, you always say each figure separately like this.
The last way is used if the number is a date.
R45 Unlike some other languages, in English when numbers over 9999 are written in figures, a comma is usually put after the fourth figure from the end, the seventh figure from the end, and so on, dividing the figures into groups of three. For example, 15,500 or 1,982,000. With numbers between 1000 and 9999, a comma is sometimes put after the first figure. For example 1,526.
When a number contains a full stop, the number or numbers after the full stop indicate a fraction. For example, 2.5 is the same as two and a half.
Ordinal numbers
R46 Here is a list of ordinal numbers. The list shows the patterns of forming ordinal numbers greater than 20.