English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [reading-aloud]

How to pronounce numbers and symbols that are not spelled out as words.

Many numbers and symbols are used in English writing. Sometimes it is not obvious which English words are used when reading numbers and symbols aloud. The reading-aloud tag is for questions that ask how to pronounce numbers and symbols that are not spelled out in the example text.

Some typical examples:

  • Date formats like:

31 July

  • Mathematical expressions like:

1 - 2 = -1

f(x) = x2

116 questions
22
votes
5 answers

How do you pronounce 2×4 (board)

Recently, I found "2x4" as a weapon in a game I played. I found that it's a common standard for lumber board. I tried to pronounce it as "two multiplies four" but it feels really weird. How should I pronounce this word?
eth4io
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19
votes
2 answers

How do you pronounce "f/4.5"?

How do you pronounce the part in bold? The camera has a 32mm lens with a maximum aperture of f/4.5.
Sergey Zolotarev
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15
votes
5 answers

How to pronounce the slash sign

There is another common business type of partnership 51% / 49%. Would it be correct to say “to” instead of the slash sign while speaking, like: 51% to 49% If “to” is wrong, please correct me.
user90151
10
votes
3 answers

How do I pronounce 3/21?

I need some help. So, I have been doing some work with fractions, and this came up: 3/21. I have no idea how to pronounce the 21 part. Is it twenty-oneth or..? I have no clue, so can someone give me the correct pronunciation?
user128898
9
votes
2 answers

How to read numbers in English

I want to write a program which will translate a number into text, but I am not sure how to read those numbers and about the rule. 999,999 =? Nine hundred ninety nine thousand and nine hundred ninety nine? Nine hundred and ninety nine thousand and…
Shaiful Islam
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4
votes
3 answers

How are tennis scores like "3-6 6-4 6-1" pronounced?

This sentence is from my book. The sentence is about Serbian tennis player Bojana Jovanovski. How do you pronounce 3-6 6-4 6-1 in this context? Unfortunately, the day finished badly for Bojana because she lost the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Antonia A
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3
votes
1 answer

How do you read these words with numbers?

June 22, 1911 (1) On the day King George V (2) was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, Billy Williams went down the pit in Aberowen, South Wales. (Ken Follett, Fall of Giants) It’s 16 March. (3) (Essential Grammar in Use) How do you…
Listenever
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2
votes
2 answers

How many ways are there to read years like "123 BC","49","1500","2009",etc.?

I've heard people say "2 thousand and 15", "twenty fifteen", "two-O-one-five",are they all acceptable? How many ways are there to express such years like "23 BC","49 AD","1500","2009",etc.?
dennylv
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2
votes
2 answers

How to read aloud this math symbol u_a(x)?

I asked a question about ua(x) just now. Then I realized I have no idea how to read aloud the symbol. Usually I read aloud X1 as "X one". Should I read aloud ua(x) as "u a of x"?
JJJohn
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1
vote
2 answers

How to write and read the period of the first years of the century

This musical style emerged in the mid-'00s of this century. Is it possible to write the period between 2005–2010 in this form? And how to read it? "Null(t)ies"? "Zerothies"?
bart-leby
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0
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1 answer

Exercise 7 and 8 are on page 5. (pronunciation)

Exercise 7 and 8 are on page 5. How do you pronounce that sentence? Exercise seven and eight are on page five. or The seventh and eighth exercise are on the fifth page. Or are both versions possible?
Sergei
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0
votes
1 answer

Does single quote (') pronounce "dash" , "prime" or something else?

The lecturer is saying we write as f dash of x when talk about this formula. I heard someone pronounce it as "prime" somewhere else. Does single quote (') pronounce dash, prime or something else?
JJJohn
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0
votes
3 answers

How do you read capital letters?

For example, speaking AbcDEg, over a phone. "capital A,b,c, capital D, capital E, g" or "uppercase A,b,c, uppercase D, uppercase E, g" or some way else?
Rick
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0
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2 answers

Article or paragraph 47/1 pronunciation question

How should I pronounce 47/1? India abstained on resolution 47/1 of 22 September 1992.
Jane
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