Valentine’s Day numbers guessing game

Valentine’s Day numbers guessing game

pronouncing numbers and passive voice practice

Take turns getting each other to guess the numbers on the next page with questions like “How many people got married on Valentine’s Day in the Philippines last year?” Listen to your partner’s first guess, then give hints such as “(The real number is) far higher” and “Very slightly lower” until they get exactly the right answer.

Useful questions about numbers

“How many…?” “How much…?” “What percentage…?” “What fraction…?” “Which…?” “When/ In which year/ In which century/ On what date…?” “How long…?”

Useful language for telling people how far they are from the right number

(Close,  but/ Nearly, but)

(The real number is)

much much far/ much/ a lot quite a lot/ considerably slightly/ a little/ a bit/ a little bit very slightly/ a tiny bit

more – less/ fewer higher – lower longer – shorter more often – less often later – earlier

(than what you said).

Ask about any sentences you don’t understand, numbers you are not sure how to write, etc.

 

Passive voice presentation

Why do these sentences have different verb forms?

• Twelve different saints called “St Valentine” are recognised by the Catholic church.
• Sixty two percent of adult Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Rewrite the sentences above in the opposite way:

• The Catholic church_______________________________________________.
• Valentine’s Day___________________________________________________.

Can you rephrase these sentences in a similar way? Why/ Why not?

• St Valentine lived in the third century (CE).
• Singles in Korea have their own celebration on Black Day on April fourteenth.
• The Argentinian equivalent of Valentine’s Day lasts for seven days.

 

Numbers to test each other on and guess

Simple numbers and percentages

• The abbreviation of “love and kisses” has two Xs and two Os.
• Five percent of the cost of most Valentine’s Day chocolate is paid to the cocoa grower.
• Twelve different saints called “St Valentine” are recognised by the Catholic church.
• Sixty two percent of adult Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day.
• Sixty percent of roses sold in America are imported from Colombia.

Ordinal numbers

• King Henry the Eighth made Valentine’s Day a holiday in England.

Fractions and decimals

• The average US pet owner spends five dollars fifty on Valentine’s gifts for their pets.
• Japanese chocolate companies make half of their sales around Valentine’s Day.
• A quarter of Americans buy Valentine’s Day presents for their pets.
• Fair trade cocoa makes up zero point one percent of all cocoa that is sold.

Big numbers

• A hundred and forty people were arrested for celebrating Valentine’s Day in Saudi Arabia in twenty twelve.
• A bunch of a hundred and eight roses means “Will you marry me?”
• The average American woman spent a hundred and six dollars and twenty two cents on Valentine’s Day in twenty twenty one.
• The average American man spent a two hundred and ninety one dollars and fifteen cents on Valentine’s Day in twenty twenty one.
• Thirty six million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year.
• Two hundred and twenty four million roses were sold in the USA before the fourteenth of February twenty nineteen.
• One billion Valentine’s Day cards are given every year in the USA.
• Twenty three point nine billion dollars was spent on Valentine’s Day gifts in the USA in twenty twenty two.

Years and centuries

• Valentine’s Day cards were first sold by Hallmark in nineteen sixteen.
• The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in eighteen sixty one.
• The oldest known Valentine’s Day message was written in fourteen fifteen.
• YouTube started on Valentine’s Day in two thousand and five.
• St Valentine lived in the third century (CE).

Dates

• Japanese men mainly give chocolates on White Day on the fourteenth of March.
• Singles in Korea have their own celebration on Black Day on April fourteenth.

Lengths of time

• The Argentinian equivalent of Valentine’s Day lasts for seven days.

 

Pronouncing numbers presentation 

Work together to come up with the pronunciation of all the numbers below. Your teacher will tell you if you should just speak or also write the numbers as words. Sometimes more than one pronunciation is possible.

Simple numbers and percentages

• 5% of the cost of most Valentine’s Day chocolate is paid to the cocoa grower.
• 62% of adult Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Ordinal numbers

• King Henry VIII made Valentine’s Day a holiday in England.

Fractions and decimals

• The average US pet owner spends $5.50 on Valentine’s gifts for their pets.
• Japanese chocolate companies make 1/2 of their sales around Valentine’s Day.
• 1/4 of Americans buy Valentine’s Day presents for their pets.
• Fair trade cocoa makes up 0.1% of all cocoa that is sold.

Big numbers

• 140 people were arrested for celebrating Valentine’s Day in Saudi Arabia in twenty twelve.
• A bunch of 108 roses means “Will you marry me?”
• The average American woman spent $106.22 cents on Valentine’s Day in 2021.
• The average American man spent $291.15 on Valentine’s Day in 2021.
• 36,000,000 heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year.
• 224,000,000 roses were sold in the USA before 14/ 2/ 2019.
• 1,000,000,000 Valentine’s Day cards are given every year in the USA.
• $23,900,000,000 was spent on Valentine’s Day gifts in the USA in 2022.

Years and centuries

• Valentine’s Day cards were first sold by Hallmark in 1916.
• The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in 1861.
• The oldest known Valentine’s Day message was written in 1415.
• YouTube started on Valentine’s Day in 2005.
• St Valentine lived in the 3^rd century (CE).

Dates

• Japanese men mainly give chocolates on White Day on the fourteenth of March.
• Singles in Korea have their own celebration on Black Day on April fourteenth.

Look back at the first worksheets to check your answers. Other pronunciations might be possible, so please check if you pronounced any a different way. 

 

Pronounce the numbers another way

Try to think of or remember other ways of saying the underlined numbers below. Put a question mark next to any you aren’t sure about. Small changes like just adding “and” also count as rephrasing.

Simple numbers and percentages

• A dozen different saints called “St Valentine” are recognised by the Catholic church.

Fractions and decimals

• The average US pet owner spends five dollars and fifty cents on Valentine’s gifts for their pets.
• Japanese chocolate companies make fifty percent of their sales around Valentine’s Day.
• One quarter of Americans buy Valentine’s Day presents for their pets.
• Fair trade cocoa makes up nought point one percent of all cocoa that is sold.

Big numbers

• One hundred and forty people were arrested in twenty twelve for celebrating Valentine’s Day in Saudi Arabia in two thousand and twelve.
• A hundred eight roses means “Will you marry me?”
• Two hundred twenty four million roses were sold in the USA before the fourteenth of February twenty nineteen.
• A billion Valentine’s Day cards are given every year in the USA.
• Twenty three billion nine hundred million dollars was spent on Valentine’s Day gifts in the USA in twenty twenty two.

Years and centuries

• The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in eighteen hundred and sixty one.
• YouTube started on Valentine’s Day in two thousand oh five.

Dates

• Japanese men mainly give chocolates on White Day on March the fourteenth.

Lengths of time

• The Argentinian equivalent of Valentine’s Day lasts for a week.

Look back at the first worksheets to check your answers. Other different pronunciations might be possible, so please check if you pronounced any a different way. 

 

Passive voice practice

Write the correct form of each verb below in the spaces given, thinking about both the time and passive voice/ active voice.

Simple numbers and percentages

• The abbreviation of “love and kisses” ___________________(have) two Xs and two Os.
• Five percent of the cost of most Valentine’s Day chocolate _________________ (pay) to the cocoa grower.
• Sixty percent of roses sold in America ____________________ (import) from Colombia.

Ordinal numbers

• King Henry the Eighth _______________ (make) Valentine’s Day a holiday in England.

Fractions and decimals

• The average US pet owner ________________________________________(spend) five dollars fifty on Valentine’s gifts for their pets.

Big numbers

• A hundred and forty people __________________________________ (arrest) for celebrating Valentine’s Day in Saudi Arabia in twenty twelve.
• Thirty six million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates _______________ (sell) each year.
• One billion Valentine’s Day cards ____________________ (give) every year in the USA.
• Twenty three point nine billion dollars _______________________________ (spend) on Valentine’s Day gifts in the USA in twenty twenty two.

Years and centuries

• The oldest known Valentine’s Day message _______________ (write) in fourteen fifteen.
• YouTube ______________________ (start) on Valentine’s Day in two thousand and five.

Dates

• Singles in Korea _________________________________________________ (have) their own celebration on Black Day on April fourteenth. 

Lengths of time

• The Argentinian equivalent of Valentine’s Day _______________________________ (last) for seven days.

Check above.