First, second, third — ordinal numbers tell us position, not how many!
Counting numbers tell us HOW MANY (1, 2, 3). ORDINAL numbers tell us WHERE something is in a line — its position. First, second, and third are ordinal numbers!
Ordinal numbers and their words:
Race finish line — who is where?
🐇 is 1st (first), 🐢 is 2nd (second), 🐸 is 3rd (third), 🐌 is 4th (fourth).
Five children stand in line: 👦 👧 👦 👧 👦 The FIRST child leads the line. The SECOND child is right behind. The THIRD child is next. Position depends on which end we start counting from!
Ordinal numbers end in -st, -nd, -rd, or -th: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th …
In a race: 🐴🐘🐒🦁 — which animal is THIRD?
Remember This!
The word "ordinal" comes from "order." Ordinal numbers put things in ORDER — they tell us who is first, who is second, and so on!