C
cat.gr
New Member
ATHENS
GREEK
- Mar 7, 2011
- #1
Hi! I would like to ask if anybody knows when we use "hundreds" instead of hundred.
Thank you in advance!
Nucleara
Senior Member
Kyoto, Japan
Thai - Central dialect
- Mar 7, 2011
- #2
Hundreds of people.
M
MilkyBarKid
Senior Member
British English
- Mar 7, 2011
- #3
Understand what you are asking:
When do we use "letters" instead of letter?
The only answer to your question is, when the plural noun is (grammatically) required
You need to give a specific sentence.
C
cat.gr
New Member
- Mar 7, 2011
- #4
I mean 900 is nine hundred or nine hundreds? I suppose the correct is the first one but I've seen hundreds as well i.e. hundreds of people (thanks Nucleara).
So 'hundreds" is used not for a specific number but just to show a large quantity. Am I right?
2
22caps
Senior Member
Los Angeles
English - US
- Mar 7, 2011
- #5
Correct.
-How many people were at the concert?
-Hundreds.
-How many people were at the concert?
-Nine hundred.
Same with thousand/thousands, million/millions, etc.
There are billions of people on earth. There are around 6.7 billion people on earth.
F
féebleue
Member
Romanian
- Mar 7, 2011
- #6
That is correct. In compound numerals, 'hundred' and 'thousand' stay invariable: three hundred, two thousand nine hundred etc. The plural is only used to show a large but approximate quantity: hundreds of people, thousands of cars, hundreds of thousands of ants etc.
2
22caps
Senior Member
Los Angeles
English - US
- Mar 7, 2011
- #7
If you want to think of it a different way, when you have a specific amount, i.e. 900 or 6.7, hundred or billion is like an adjective describing the number. Adjectives in English don't have plural forms.
But when they stand alone, they are a noun, and therefore can have a plural form.
C
cat.gr
New Member
ATHENS
GREEK
- Mar 7, 2011
- #8
Thank you all!
sb70012
Senior Member
Born in Iran living in China
Persian
- Oct 27, 2013
- #9
1. Some hundreds years ago, our city belonged to Azerbaijan.
2. Some hundred years ago, our city belonged to Azerbaijan.
Hi friends,
Would you please tell me which one is grammatically ok?
I am confused about the usage of "hundreds".
Source: self made general question
Thank you
natkretep
Moderato con anima (English Only)
Singapore
English (Singapore/UK), basic Chinese
- Oct 27, 2013
- #10
Sentence 2 is grammatical, and 'some hundred years' means about a hundred years.Sentence 1 is ungrammatical, but you could say 'some hundreds of years', which means 'a few hundred years'.
sb70012
Senior Member
Born in Iran living in China
Persian
- Oct 27, 2013
- #11
Many thanks.
Mahantongo
Senior Member
English (U.S.)
- Oct 27, 2013
- #12
I would understand #2 not so much as ungrammatical, but instead as an indication that we were speaking of an approximation of 100. Exactly 100 years ago would be 1913. I would take #2 to mean About 100 years ago -- perhaps as long ago as, say, 1908, or perhaps as recently as 1918 -- your city belonged to Azerbaijan.
prof d'anglais
Senior Member
Tours 37, France
English
- Nov 19, 2013
- #13
...and don't forget 'Hundreds and Thousands', sprinkled on cupcakes and ice-cream. 
J
Jivvi
New Member
English
- Apr 8, 2015
- #14
The only context I can think of where you would use "hundreds" when specifying an exact quantity is where it refers to a unit of currency, like a $100 note.
"How many hundreds do you have?"
"I have three hundreds."
This isn't just saying that you have $300, (you may have more) but more specifically, that you have exactly three notes each worth $100.
E
ebtg3
New Member
Korean
- Jan 20, 2019
- #15
Thanks. It is really helpful.
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