2
general::
verb ADV. clearly | consecutively, sequentially PREP. according to, by Each pigeon hole is clearly numbered by floor and by room. | from, to Number the car's features from 1 to 10 according to importance., noun symbol/word ADJ. cardinal, decimal, ordinal | even, odd Houses on this side of the road have even numbers. | high, low | prime | random | lucky, unlucky Many people think 13 is an unlucky number. | winning the winning numbers in tonight's lottery VERB + NUMBER add, divide, multiply, subtract, take away Add all the numbers together, divide by ten, and take away the number you first thought of. PHRASES in round numbers There were about 150 there, in round numbers. | number crunching (= doing calculations) There's more to accountancy than just number crunching. quantity/amount ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, huge, inordinate, large, substantial, vast | record a record number of enquiries | disproportionate, surprising | fair, reasonable, significant We've had a fair number of complaints about the new phone system. | finite, infinite There are an infinite number of solutions to the problem. | equal The candidates received an equal number of votes. | maximum, minimum | average, mean, median | adequate, sufficient | limited, small | growing, increasing, rising | exact, precise Many people have died in the epidemic?the precise number is not known. | indefinite, unspecified | approximate | total VERB + NUMBER grow in, increase in Factories had increased in number between the wars. | decrease in, reduce in NUMBER + VERB double, grow, increase | decline, diminish, drop, dwindle, fall (off/down) Shark numbers have dwindled as a result of hunting. PREP. in ~ The paintings, twelve in number, are over 200 years old. PHRASES a decline/drop in numbers The decline in numbers of young people means that fewer teachers will be needed. | a growth/an increase in numbers, few/limited/small in number Wild dogs are now few in number. for identifying sb/sth ADJ. account, identity, registration, serial, etc. | flat, house PREP. at ~ We live at number 21. telephone number ADJ. fax, phone, telephone | home, office, work | wrong I keep getting the wrong number. VERB + NUMBER call, dial, phone, ring | get
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
number
adjectives
a lucky number
(= a number you think gives you good luck )
• Three is my lucky number.
an even number
(= 2, 4, 6, 8 etc )
• All even numbers can be divided by 2.
an odd number
(= 1, 3, 5, 7 etc )
• You can’t work in pairs if you’ve got an odd number of people.
a round number
(= a number ending in zero )
• A hundred is a nice round number.
a positive number
(= a number that is more than zero )
• Maths is easier if you are dealing with positive numbers.
a negative/minus number
(= a number that is less than zero )
• Can a negative number have a square root?
a prime number
(= a number such as 13 that can be divided only by itself and 1 )
• After 7, what is the next prime number?
a cardinal number
(= a number such as 1, 2, or 3 that shows how many of something there are )
• Numbers go on to infinity, so there is no last cardinal number.
an ordinal number
(= a number such as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd that shows where something comes in a series or list )
• The children learn about position and ordinal numbers when they stand in a line.
a whole number
(= a number that is not a fraction )
verbs
add numbers together
• Add the two numbers together and divide by three.
add up numbers
(= add several numbers together )
• Write all the numbers down, then add them up.
subtract one number from another
• Subtract this number from the total.
multiply one number by another
• What happens if you multiply a postive number by a negative number?
divide one number by another
• You can’t divide a prime number by any other number, except 1.
number 2
adjectives
a large/great number
• A large number of children were running around in the playground.
a vast/huge number
(= very large )
• We’ve had a huge number of complaints.
a high number
• There seems to be no reason for the high number of suicides.
a considerable/substantial/significant number
(= quite a large number )
• He received a substantial number of votes. • A considerable number of students left after the first year.
a good number
(= quite a lot )
• He has written a good number of books for children.
a small number
• The class had only a small number of students.
a low number
• the low numbers of women involved in sports coaching
a limited number
(= quite small )
• A limited number of copies were printed.
a tiny number
(= very small )
• Only a tiny number of these animals remain in the wild.
a growing/increasing number
• An increasing number of women are entering the profession.
verbs
increase the number of something
• As you improve, increase the number of times you do each exercise.
reduce the number of something
• We need to reduce the number of cars on the road.
a number increases/goes up/grows/rises
• The number of mobile phones has increased dramatically.
a number doubles
(= becomes twice as big )
• The number of road accidents has doubled in the last ten years.
a number falls/drops/goes down/decreases/declines
• The number of new houses being built is falling steadily.
a number halves
(= becomes twice as small )
• The number of children failing at school has halved in recent years.
phrases
in large/increasing/limited etc numbers
• Birds nest here in large numbers.
any number of something
(= a very large number of them )
• There have been any number of magazine articles about the celebrity couple.
bring the number to 25, 120 etc
• This will bring the number of jobs lost at the company to 85.
COMMON ERRORS
>>> Do not say 'a big number of people/things’ . Say a large number of people/things .
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