# A hundred vs one hundred **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291 "2013-03-18T19:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/41 "2013-03-20T17:36:22Z")
BTW, the final chapter of Dodie Smith’s novel _101 Dalmatians,_ on which the movies were based, is called “The One Hundred and Oneth Dalmatian”. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/42 "2013-03-20T17:43:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve heard many a person say that “and” means “decimal point.” I’ve never heard this before at all. > [@](#): > > Where does this idea come from? In spoken American English, I’ve never noted that to be the case. Prescriptivists. The early 20th century was their heyday. (It was also the high water mark of European imperialism, coincidentally(?).) Some of those who had been schooled by prescriptivists, which was the norm around 100 years ago, retained that drilling all their life and passed it on to younger generations. It has now been dying down for a long time, being replaced by descriptivism. Hard prescriptivists insisted that the linguistic laws they spoke forth are absolute and immutable for everybody. Soft prescriptivists, without seeking to promulgate such a totalitarian ideal, would hold to a prescriptivist writing or speaking standard for the purposes of pedagogy in their classroom. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/43 "2013-03-20T17:55:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I’m not a grammar prescriptivist. “A hundred and fifty-six” sounds just fine to my ears. If it makes other people cringe, so be it. Get over it. The only time I’ll use “One hundred fifty-six” is if I’m writing a check for that amount. I will use “and” to set off the amount of cents, as in “One hundred fifty-six and no/100 dollars.” That’s the only time I’ll take care to be precise. I’m similar to what you described. I use that construction you cited for writing checks—but who talks like how they write checks? Two completely different linguistic registers. Except that when the sum is an even dollar amount, I don’t bother writing “and no/100,” I just draw a wavy line from the dollar amount to the preprinted word “dollars.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/44 "2013-03-20T18:09:03Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > I’ve never heard this before at all. Yep, it’s weird, but some people insist on it. There was a link in a related recent thread [to this](http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/02/decimal-point.html). > [@](#): > > Q: Just thought I’d let you know why the young lady in your Sept. 28, 2008, post lost the multiplication bee. When you’re speaking or writing numbers, the word “and” is actually the decimal point. So one hundred thirty-two is 132, but one hundred and thirty-two is 100.32. It may seems a small matter, but it makes a big difference in the number. > > A: This is a common misconception, but in spoken or written numbers the conjunction “and” does not mean decimal point. Like I said, I can’t recall a time I’ve ever encountered that to be the case in actual usage, but many misguided grammar/usage pedants insist it’s the case. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/45 "2013-03-20T18:16:56Z")
I wonder if maybe the usage is a over-generalizing from such constructions as “one and a half” and “two and five-sixteenths” and other fractional examples, where the “and” is necessary to separate the two parts of the mixed number and avoid ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/46 "2013-03-20T22:01:47Z")
Philistines. It should be “Seven score and sixteen.” Or, if you are somewhat uncouth, “thirteen dozen.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/47 "2013-03-20T22:30:36Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Philistines. It should be “Seven score and sixteen.” Or, if you are somewhat uncouth, “thirteen dozen.” > > 🙂 How about a gross and a dozen? ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/48 "2013-03-20T23:58:34Z")
Doesn’t really matter. Provided the meaning comes across. Here in Oz: 156 - ‘One Hundred and Fifty-six’ 100.56 - ‘One Hundred point five Six’ 100 56/100 - ‘One Hundred and 56 Hundredths’ I wonder why we only do it with the numbers from 0 to 100 when preceded by a larger order of magnitude. For example: 56 - ‘Fifty Six’ - not ‘Fifty and six’ 156 - covered 1056 - ‘One Thousand and Fifty Six’ 1100 - One Thousand, one hundred’ - not ‘One Thousand and One Hundred’ 1156 - One Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty Six’. And we get irate when ‘immigrants can’t learn our language properly’! ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/49 "2013-03-21T00:16:33Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > Doesn’t really matter. Provided the meaning comes across. > Here in Oz: > 156 - ‘One Hundred and Fifty-six’ > 100.56 - ‘One Hundred point five Six’ > 100 56/100 - ‘One Hundred and 56 Hundredths’ > > I wonder why we only do it with the numbers from 0 to 100 when preceded by a larger order of magnitude. > > For example: > > 56 - ‘Fifty Six’ - not ‘Fifty and six’ > 156 - covered > 1056 - ‘One Thousand and Fifty Six’ > 1100 - One Thousand, one hundred’ - not ‘One Thousand and One Hundred’ > 1156 - One Thousand, One Hundred and Fifty Six’. > > And we get irate when ‘immigrants can’t learn our language properly’! True Dinks Walla, well said.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/50 "2013-03-21T00:46:43Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > 100 56/100 - ‘One Hundred and 56 Hundredths’ American. I **never** use “tenths”, “hundreths”, etc. I would say “A hundred and fifty six out of a hundred.” > [@](#): > > I wonder why we only do it with the numbers from 0 to 100 when preceded by a larger order of magnitude. I believe in archaic english (and modern German, iirc) from 21-99 it’s standard to put the smaller digit first with an “and”, so 125 is “one hundred five and twenty”. Not really that relevant, but interesting. > [@Disheavel](#): > > The use of AND is just wrong. AND denotes the decimal point and that was used for every math, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and other science class. No, I’ve only heard that twice in my life: in my 7th and 8th grade math classes. Who were adamant that “and” is only properly used for decimals. Everybody else, including math and science teachers were happy to just use “point” and then a list of a few single digit numbers (followed by “yada yada yada” or “and so on” if there are more or infinite digits) for decimals, with “and” being used for numbers up to 99 following a value greater than or equal to 100. In my physics classes it was very common to just hear “Fifteen point five six meters per second” or similar, same with statistics and so on. Besides, “and” starts to break down when you begin to work with very small, very precise, or irrational numbers. Nobody is going to spend the time to parse “1.56789345211” into “one and one hundred-billiionth, one ten-billionth, two billionths, five hundred-millionths, four ten-millionths, three millionths, nine hundred-thousandths, eight ten-thousandths, seven thousandths, six hundreths, five tenths.” Which is what my old math worksheets would have me do. You’ll be understood much better if you just say “One point five six seven eight nine three four five two one one”. So that’s what we do. > [@](#): > > I don’t think hick is the correct word but uneducated might be. Or, perhaps, people just have different dialects. I’m perfectly well aware with how I “should” do it, as mentioned. I just think whoever came up with that “proper” way can shove it. If they want to use it and it makes sense to them and their peers, great, me and pretty much everyone else I’ve ever known will go do our own thing over here. > [@](#): > > How many ANDs do you write when you fill out a check? Not that I often write checks, but, once. Of course, that’s because checks aren’t natural language and have a specific, prescribed method for filling them out that only includes one “and”. > [@](#): > > How about the number $140? Does anyone really say one hundred and forty dollars? Or if you got 25 cents: one hundred and forty dollars point two five dollars? I honestly believe you are all deluding yourselves into believing you say the AND in that location. Yes, I say “a hundred and forty dollars”, I also say “a hundred and forty dollars \ and twenty five cents”. This is not me deluding myself, this is how I parse those values into my head when I read them. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/51 "2013-03-21T02:38:28Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > American. I **never** use “tenths”, “hundreths”, etc. I would say “A hundred and fifty six out of a hundred.” Would you say ‘A hundred and three out of eight’ for 100 3/8? or would you say ‘three eighths’. I guess I was merely highlighting that if there was a decimal point, the standard (at least around here) is to say ‘point something’ - while if there is a fraction, then we use ‘-ths’. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/52 "2013-03-21T03:50:21Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > Would you say ‘A hundred and three out of eight’ for 100 3/8? or would you say ‘three eighths’. > > I guess I was merely highlighting that if there was a decimal point, the standard (at least around here) is to say ‘point something’ - while if there is a fraction, then we use ‘-ths’. I guess I jumped the gun. I do use “tenths” for fractions. I think I use “ths” up to about twenty. Anything over twenty, though, I generally use “x out of y”, unless it’s a modifier of another number like “for one one-hundredth of the cost”. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/53 "2013-03-21T06:58:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But that’s most assuredly not true. Look at the trailer, in American English, Right. Just because _some_–or even most–Brits do it doesn’t mean no Americans do. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/54 "2013-03-21T08:08:23Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > BTW, the final chapter of Dodie Smith’s novel _101 Dalmatians,_ on which the movies were based, is called “The One Hundred and Oneth Dalmatian”. No doubt that was done for effect (I think it should have been “The One Hundred and First Dalmatian” - although that also looks wrong written down), but nonetheless, “One hundred and one” is completely standard and commonplace (I hesitate to say universal, but it probably is) British usage. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/55 "2013-03-21T11:52:31Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > No doubt that was done for effect (I think it should have been “The One Hundred and First Dalmatian” - although that also looks wrong written down), but nonetheless, “One hundred and one” is completely standard and commonplace (I hesitate to say universal, but it probably is) British usage. Ah, the difference with the colloquial American English I grew up with is that we say “_a_ hundred” rather than “one hundred.” Teachers tried to get us to say “one hundred;” when the teachers weren’t around we always said “a hundred.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/56 "2013-03-21T12:56:22Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Ah, the difference with the colloquial American English I grew up with is that we say “_a_ hundred” rather than “one hundred.” Teachers tried to get us to say “one hundred;” when the teachers weren’t around we always said “a hundred.” That’s pretty much the same here in Britain - it’s the AND thing that’s different. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/57 "2013-03-21T13:45:27Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Right. Just because _some_–or even most–Brits do it doesn’t mean no Americans do. And I think that’s even somewhat understating how common it is, at least in my American dialect, to throw the “and” in there. Nobody would look askance or think it weird to say “and” in a number like “a/one hundred and fifty six.” For me, it is completely natural to throw the “and” in, and I did not grow up with any British English influence. I was just googling phrases like “one hundred and,” “two hundred and,” “three hundred and” with “lyrics” and there’s a slew of American songs out there that use the construction. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/58 "2013-03-22T03:39:05Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But that’s most assuredly not true. Look at the trailer, in American English, for [101 Dalmatians](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XBJD-lxh078#t=91s) (cued up to the relevant part for your convenience.) > > It’s only one data point, but American English speakers absolutely use “and” in that manner. > > ETA: Or [this song for the animated seriesp](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=F4AJZOq3zKk#t=54s). Also “One hundred and one.” Some American speakers may use “and” – reference my 7th-grade math teacher mentioned earlier – but apparently all Brits do. And they’ll make fun of Americans like me who don’t as an example of the destruction of the language. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2013, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/59 "2013-03-23T06:58:54Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Interesting. “101 Dalmatians” is usually referred to as “One hundred _and_ one Dalmatians,” isn’t it? At least, that’s how it’s in the trailer. There’s no ambiguity there. 100 and 1 dalmatians is the same thing as 101 dalmatians. The problem arises more when the numbers are used as nouns. The decimal problem is not what a lot of you seem to think. It’s not that saying one hundred and one might be misinterpreted as 100.1. It’s that having multiple "and"s in a number can make things unclear. If I said “one hundred and two tenths,” do I mean 100.2 or 102/10? With a rule that the and means a decimal point, the 100.2 is the unambiguous answer. That said, I voted for the second option in the poll not because of the word “and,” but because it used the number “one.” I am not aware of anyone who would read that number without the “one,” even if they left out the word “hundred.” ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291/60 "2013-03-25T06:18:48Z")
Conversationally, “a hundred and fifty six”, or “one hundred and fifty six” if I was being a bit more formal. Not having the “and” is one of those things that always very sounds distinctly American to my ears. Like hearing maths called “math”. I almost couldn’t say the phrase “one hundred fifty six” out loud without hamming up a bad American accent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hundred-vs-one-hundred/653291.md?page=4)