# 2003 - Two Thousand AND Three.. \*grr\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 22, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148 "2003-01-22T03:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PumiceT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@PumiceT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PumiceT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/1 "2003-01-22T03:58:44Z")
You know, when 2001 approached, I already heard the fingernails on the proverbial chalkboard. PROFESSIONAL news anchors and other people in the public ear would say “and” within numbers over 100. I have been hearing it ever since. “And” when used in a number denotes a decimal point. [This is KIDS’ stuff!](http://www.mathcats.com/explore/reallybignumbers.html) [Another reference.](http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/57225.html) > [@](#): > > If you stick an extra ‘and’ into a number, will anyone be unable to determine what you mean? No. > Might some people who would consider this to be an error make a mental note that perhaps you’re less ‘educated’ than you ought to be? Yes. > Might that affect the way they subsequently interpret what you say and do? Yes. > Might that, over the course of your lifetime, end up reducing both your income and the scope of opportunities that are offered to you? Maybe. Ok… I see my point isn’t as strong as I had learned throughout my life. Perhaps I need to relax on this one a little. It still sounds better to me WITHOUT “and.” ---
**Author:** ![j\_kat\_251](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@j\_kat\_251](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_kat_251)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/2 "2003-01-22T04:13:05Z")
Two thousand one. Two thousand and one. I’ll take the one that sounds better. Which, for me, is with the “and”. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/3 "2003-01-22T04:18:34Z")
Well, I admit it’s unfortunate that you can find a cite that’s also wrong, especially one that purports to ‘educate’ kids, but I believe omitting the word ‘and’ in numbers over 100 is an American dialectal thing. To others it’s the omission that’s uneducated. A seppo across the aisle at work said that it was one of the hardest habits to break, but she had to do so because she was sick of everyone correcting her. ---
**Author:** ![PumiceT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@PumiceT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PumiceT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/4 "2003-01-22T04:35:43Z")
The “and” sounds like you’re doing math on the spot… Mr. X: “One hundred twenty and four.” Mr. Y: “Yes, that equals one hundred, four.” 😃 I understand that it varies by locale. I happen to be in the USA, where it is considered to be correct without “and” (or so I was taught). ---
**Author:** ![Sqube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Sqube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sqube)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/5 "2003-01-22T04:38:53Z")
Umm… maybe I’m in the minority here, but I don’t think saying “Two thousand one” versus “two thousand and one” will make the difference between a life of luxury and a life as a pauper. As far as grammar goes, this argument isn’t exactly on par with “Joe and me” versus “Joe and I”. Oh, and to kinda answer the statement, I say whichever one comes to mind first. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/6 "2003-01-22T05:09:34Z")
Much as I would like to defy the wishes of my psychotic demon cow of a third-grade teacher, who would have a nuclear meltdown screaming fit if any child used ‘and’ in a number, I actually prefer the sound of ‘two-thousand-three’ over ‘two-thousand-and-three’. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/7 "2003-01-22T05:13:57Z")
I’m still partying like it’s nineteen-hundred and ninety-nine. ---
**Author:** ![DLurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@DLurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DLurker)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/8 "2003-01-22T05:18:53Z")
Two Thousand and One Two Thousand Ten… Wonder why the movies were named thus. Or am I remembering incorrectly… ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/9 "2003-01-22T05:27:47Z")
They were just named _2001_ and _2010_. How you pronounce them is entirely up to you. ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/10 "2003-01-22T06:14:55Z")
Could be worse; we could count like Germans: Ein und zwenzig, zwei und zwenzig… ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/11 "2003-01-22T10:39:36Z")
In Australia we use the language correctly and always use an and. (Can I end a sentence with and?) ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Mr\_Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Blonde)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/12 "2003-01-22T12:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Caught@Work \* > \*\*In Australia we use the language correctly and always use an and. > (Can I end a sentence with and?) \*\* Well you managed it twice! I reckon you should use ’ '('s) though around the word ‘and’. May sound picky but think of the fun if you do the ’ thing with your fingers everytime you type it. Hours of entertainment ‘and’ strange looks. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/13 "2003-01-22T13:07:26Z")
Yes. I was taught to say,“One hundred one”. Not “One hundred and one” ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/14 "2003-01-22T13:45:08Z")
“Four score seven years ago” just doesn’t sound right. ---
**Author:** ![PumiceT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@PumiceT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PumiceT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/15 "2003-01-22T14:13:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*“Four score seven years ago” just doesn’t sound right. \*\* Probably because it’s “wrong.” Not to say they’re entirely unrelated, but they’re probably about as similar as Roman numerals and Arabic numerals. ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/16 "2003-01-22T14:17:16Z")
[qoute](Can I end a sentence with and?) [/quote] That is the type of nonsense up with which I will not put! ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/17 "2003-01-22T14:22:37Z")
OK, maybe I should have previewed that one first… ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/18 "2003-01-22T16:50:10Z")
Personally, I just stick with “Twenty-oh Three.” I mean, in 1995, we didn’t say “Nineteen-hundred and ninety-five,” or “One-thousand nine-hundred and ninety-five.” So why is everyone saying “Two-thousand three” (Or “two-thousand and three”)? If everyone followed my lead, all this horrible fighting would stop. Happy ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/19 "2003-01-22T19:08:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PumiceT \* > \*\*Mr. X: “One hundred twenty and four.” > Mr. Y: “Yes, that equals one hundred, four.” > \*\* Mr. N: “Actually, that equals one hundred, twenty-four.” (Do I get a pedant’s ribbon for being so pedestrian?) It’s odd - I don’t think I’ve heard people pronouncing one hundred “and” something, much less twenty “and” something, but it seems more common with numbers one thousand and higher. Maybe the “and” is for the comma? In Spanish, on the other hand, 16 is diez y seis (ten and six). ---
**Author:** ![PumiceT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@PumiceT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PumiceT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148/20 "2003-01-22T19:36:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NE Texan \* > **Mr. N: "Actually, that equals one hundred, twenty-four."** :smack: Crap. My bad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2003-two-thousand-and-three-grr/150148.md?page=2)