Numbers to 20 · Usually met around P1
Ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
Check which end you count from; the 4th has 3 in front.
How to do it
Method
Check which end you count from; the 4th has 3 in front
4th from the front of 9 = 6th from the back
Another way
Draw and count
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In full
“Which place” tells you where something stands in a line (an ordinal); “how many” tells you the total (a cardinal). First see which end you count from: from the left and from the right can give different answers. The 4th person has 3 people in front (4 − 1). In a line of 9, the 4th from the front is the 6th from the back (9 − 4 + 1). Or draw a circle for each place and count them one by one.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
Counting from the left, which place is 🚗 in?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 2
Count from the 1st on the left: 🚗 is 2nd.
Example 2
11 children stand in a line. Ka-yee is 5th, so there are 5 children in front of Ka-yee.
True or false?
Show the answer and working
Answer: False
5th place has the 1st to the 4th in front: 4 children. Ka-yee is not counted.
Example 3
14 children stand in a line. Tsz-hin is 5th from the front. Which place is Tsz-hin from the back?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 10
14 − 5 = 9 stand behind Tsz-hin, so from the back Tsz-hin comes next: 10th.
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