1. Addition

In small additions, they usually say and for +, and is or are for = :

2 + 2 = 4 Two and two is/are four.

6 + 5 = 11 Six and five is/are eleven.

8 + 6 = ? What’s the eight and six?

In larger additions (and in more formal style) they use plus for + and equals or is for = :

712 + 145 = 857 Seven hundred and twelve plus a hundred and

forty-five is (equals) eight hundred and

fifty-seven.

2. Subtraction

In conversational style, dealing with small numbers, people say:

7 – 4 = 3 

Four from seven leaves/is three. Seven take away four leaves/is three.

In a more formal style, or dealing with larger numbers, minus and equals are used:

619 – 428 = 191 Six hundred and nineteen minus four hundred

and twenty-eight equals a hundred and

ninety-one.

3. Multiplication

In small calculations, the most common approach is to say three fours, six sevens, etc, and to use are for = :

3 × 4 = 12 Three fours are twelve.

6 × 7 = 42 Six sevens are forty-two.

I n larger calculations, there are several possibilities. One way is to say times for × , and is or makes for = :

17 × 381 = 6,477 Seventeen times three hundred and

eighty-one is/makes six thousand,

four hundred and seventy-seven.

In a more formal style, they say multiplied by and equals:

17 × 381 = 6,477 17 multiplied by 381 equals 6, 477.

4. Division

The simplest way is to use divided by and equals:

261 : 9 = 29 Two hundred and sixty-one divided by

nine equals twenty-nine.

But in smaller calculations, people might say, for example:

9 : 3 = 3 Three into nine goes three (times).

Example of a spoken calculation

Calculation is done differently in English.

Here is a multiplication 146 × 281 (a hundred and forty-six times two hundred and eighty-one), together with all its steps, in the words that an English speaker might say as he was doing it.

146

281

29200

11680

146

41,026

1. Put down two noughts.

2. Two sixes are twelve; put down 2 and carry 1; two fours are eight and one are nine; two ones are two.

3. (Next line). Put down one nought.

4. Eight sixes are forty-eight; put down 8 and carry 4; eight fours are thirty-two and four is thirty-six; put down 6 and carry 3; eight ones are eight and three is eleven.

5. (next line) One times 146 is 146.

6. (The addition) Six and nought and nought is six; eight and four and nought is twelve; put down 2 and carry 1; six and two are eight and one is nine and one is ten; put down 0 and carry 1; nine and one are ten and one is eleven; put down 1 and carry 1; two and one are three and one are four.

7. (Total) forty-one thousand and twenty-six.

(the example is taken from /Michael Swan. Practical English Usage.– OUP, 1986/).

E x e r c i s e s

1. Practise reading the following dates.

28 February, 1 May, 25 October, 29 March, 17 August, 25 December, 56 B.C., 97 A.D., 878, 1001, 1604, 1917, 1989, 2000, 2005, 1900.