eighteenth
eighteenth — number
1. the word for the number 18 when you are counting or describing the position of s
the word for the number 18 when you are counting or describing the position of something in a list, series, or sequence — for example, the eighteenth person to arrive, or the eighteenth floor of a building.
Nikos celebrated his eighteenth birthday with a trip to the Greek islands.
ordinal before noun: eighteenth + birthday
The eighteenth chapter of the history book covers the end of the war.
the eighteenth + noun
Mira finished in eighteenth place in the swimming competition last weekend.
The store's eighteenth annual sale starts next Friday with discounts on all items.
文法句型
the eighteenth + noun
the eighteenth to + verb
eighteenth + noun (no article in some contexts)
用法筆記
When used with a date, 'the eighteenth' is the usual way to say the 18th day of a month (e.g., 'the eighteenth of May'). The ordinal form is also used in titles of rulers (Henry VIII is read as 'Henry the Eighth', following the same pattern for eighteen).
常見錯誤
eighteenth — noun
- eighteenthsingular
- eighteenthsplural
1. one of eighteen pieces or portions that are exactly the same size; the result of
one of eighteen pieces or portions that are exactly the same size; the result of dividing a whole into eighteen equal parts.
Chidi cut the bar into eighteen equal pieces and gave each child one eighteenth.
fraction: one eighteenth of [whole]
Only about one eighteenth of the garden gets direct sunlight during the winter months.
The recipe calls for one eighteenth of a teaspoon of saffron threads.
Nadia calculated that roughly one eighteenth of the monthly budget was spent on electricity bills.
文法句型
one eighteenth of + noun phrase
an eighteenth of + noun phrase
eighteenths (plural)
用法筆記
Unlike the position sense (noun/2), this sense always refers to a measurement or portion of a whole, not a rank. It appears most often in recipes, measurements, statistics, and financial contexts. The plural 'eighteenths' is rare but possible when counting individual portions.
常見錯誤
❌ 'One eighteenth of the students are in eighteenth place.' — This mixes the fraction sense with the position sense; use 'one eighteenth' only for equal portions of a whole.
2. the person or item that is in the position after the seventeenth and before the
the person or item that is in the position after the seventeenth and before the nineteenth in a queue, competition, list, or other ordered collection.
Tara was the eighteenth to arrive at the conference and received a welcome bag.
pattern: the eighteenth to + verb
The eighteenth in the list of volunteers had the most teaching experience.
Amelia picked the eighteenth book from the stack and started reading immediately.
Defne's painting was the eighteenth chosen for the exhibition, just barely making the cut.
文法句型
the eighteenth
the eighteenth to + verb
用法筆記
This sense functions as a noun phrase referring to a specific position rather than a quantity. It is always preceded by 'the' (or another determiner like 'a' or 'every'). Distinguish from sense noun/1 (ONE OF 18 PARTS), which refers to a fraction, not a rank.
常見錯誤
eighteenth — adjective
- eighteenthpositive
- more eighteenthcomparative
- most eighteenthsuperlative
1. marking the place that follows number seventeen in a rank or list — an eighteent
marking the place that follows number seventeen in a rank or list — an eighteenth-century building, for instance, was built in the 1700s; the eighteenth runner crossed the finish line just after the seventeenth.
The eighteenth-floor restaurant offers a beautiful view of the harbour at sunset.
attributive: eighteenth + noun (floor)
Ingrid stored her winter clothes in the eighteenth box in the storage unit.
Saira's eighteenth consecutive day of piano practice showed real improvement.
The eighteenth runner crossed the finish line just before the heavy rain started.
文法句型
the eighteenth + noun
possessive + eighteenth + noun
用法筆記
This sense (adjective) differs from the ordinal number sense only in grammatical classification — both refer to the same positional meaning. The adjective sense always appears before a noun ('the eighteenth floor') and cannot stand alone the way the number can ('the eighteenth of May').