Ordinal And Cardinal Numerals

Ordinal numeral

Any number term of the form first, second, third, twenty-fifth or five hundredth. The English ordinals are usually called as adjectives.

Cardinal numeral

A counting number.

Examples are: one, two, three, four, seven, twenty etc.

After a noun we usually use a cardinal number instead of an ordinal number. This structure is common in titles.

the fourth book – Book Four
the third act – Act Three

However, the names of kings and queens are said with ordinal numbers.

Louis XIV: Louis the Fourteenth
Elizabeth II: Elizabeth the Second