eighty
eighty — number
1. The number that comes after seventy-nine and before eighty-one, written as the d
The number that comes after seventy-nine and before eighty-one, written as the digits 80; used before a noun to say how many of something there are.
Wei invited eighty guests to his wedding reception.
eighty + plural noun for quantity
The old banyan tree next to the temple is over eighty years old.
over eighty + unit of time
Eighty percent of the villagers voted in the local election.
The express train travels at eighty miles per hour along the coast.
Kim saved eighty dollars by buying the sofa during the Lunar New Year sale.
文法句型
eighty + plural noun
eighty + years/miles/dollars/percent
be + eighty + years old
用法筆記
Unlike nouns, the number 'eighty' does not take 'a' or 'an' when it directly modifies a noun: 'eighty students' (NOT 'an eighty students'). Use 'eighty' before the noun it counts, just like other cardinal numbers. When talking about age, 'He is eighty' (without 'years old') is common in everyday speech, but 'years old' is added before a noun: 'an eighty-year-old building'.
常見錯誤
eighty — noun
1. The number 80 considered as a figure or an amount, rather than as a way to count
The number 80 considered as a figure or an amount, rather than as a way to count things; the written symbol '80' or the value that equals eight times ten.
Write the number eighty in the box at the top of the form.
the number + eighty for the figure
Nadia counted eighty pebbles on the beach before putting them in a jar.
count + number + plural noun for concrete quantity
Sofia scored an eighty on her chemistry midterm exam.
Diego counted up to eighty before taking a short rest.
Haruto wrote the number eighty at the bottom of the cheque and signed his name.
文法句型
a + eighty + (score/out of)
the number eighty
eighty as a figure/symbol
用法筆記
As a countable noun, 'eighty' can take an article: 'an eighty' means a score or mark of 80. This sense is common in education (test scores), maths (arithmetic), and games (points). To talk about a person's age in the 80–89 range, use the plural 'eighties' (see the second noun sense).
常見錯誤
2. The range of numbers from 80 to 89, especially used to describe a person's age (
The range of numbers from 80 to 89, especially used to describe a person's age (being between 80 and 89 years old), a temperature range, or the years of a decade such as the 1980s.
Zara is in her eighties but still swims every morning at the local pool.
in one's eighties for age range
Nadia loved the bright colors and pop music of the nineteen-eighties.
the nineteen-eighties for the decade
The temperature climbed into the high eighties during the July heat wave.
Haruto's grandmother learned to video-call her family in her late eighties.
Many hit songs from the eighties are still played on radio stations today.
文法句型
in one's eighties
the (early/mid/late) eighties
the nineteen-eighties
the (low/high) eighties
用法筆記
This sense is always used in the plural form 'eighties'. For ages, use a possessive determiner: 'in her eighties', 'in his eighties'. For decades, use 'the eighties' or 'the nineteen-eighties'. For temperatures, use 'the low eighties' (80–83°F), 'the mid-eighties' (84–86°F), or 'the high eighties' (87–89°F). Do not use this form for the exact number 80 — that is the first noun sense.