Meaning & use
11
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Meanings
number
The number that comes after ten and before twelve; it is written as 11 or as the word eleven.
Grammar: Used before a plural noun: 11 players, 11 o'clock. As a pronoun it can stand alone: eleven of them came.
Patterns
- 11 + plural noun
- eleven of + plural noun
- at 11 o'clock
There are 11 players on a soccer team.
My sister turned 11 last week and had a small party.
The bus leaves at 11, so we should be at the stop by ten fifty.
numbersingularsport
The number of a team or group that has eleven members, especially in soccer or cricket.
Grammar: Often used with the: the eleven means one complete team. Compare a team, which is more general.
Patterns
- the eleven
- field an eleven
- a strong eleven
The coach named a young eleven for Saturday's match.
Their eleven looked tired in the second half.
He was picked for the first eleven at his school.
nouncountable
The age of eleven years, or a thing or person numbered eleven.
Grammar: Used for ages and for numbered items such as rooms or buses: she is eleven; take the 11.
Patterns
- be eleven
- the 11 (bus, room, page)
He learned to swim when he was eleven.
We waited for the 11 bus outside the station.
Her office is on the 11th floor, room 11.
Word forms
| ordinal | 11th (eleventh) |
|---|
Common combinations
- at 11 o'clock
- The meeting starts at 11 o'clock sharp.
- 11 years old
- Their son is 11 years old and loves chess.
- the first eleven
- She finally made the first eleven this season.
- 11 percent
- Sales rose by 11 percent last year.
- number 11
- He wears number 11 for his club.
- eleven of us
- Eleven of us signed up for the trip.
Synonyms and how they differ
- eleven
- This is the same number written as a word, used in formal writing and when a sentence starts.
- XI
- A Roman-numeral way of writing 11, common in sports tables and on clocks.
Word family
Commonly confused: 11 or twelve?
11 vs twelve
Twelve is one more than eleven. Learners sometimes mix the -ve- and -lve- endings when spelling these two numbers.
Practice
Which sentence uses 11 correctly?
Choose one answer.
"She is 11 years old" is the natural way to give an age. "11 player" needs a plural noun (11 players), "in 11 o'clock" wrongly uses in with a clock time, and "the 11 player" needs the ordinal "11th" for a position in a line.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “11”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.