Word
the 20th century
Definition
compound. The period of time from the year 1901 to 2000. We often use it to talk about the history, art, and technology of that time.
compound. The historical period spanning the hundred years from 1 January 1901 to 31 December 2000.
Examples
“My grandparents were born in the 20th century.”
“The world changed dramatically during the 20th century with two world wars and many technological advances.”
“Historians argue that the ideological conflicts that defined the 20th century have been replaced by new global challenges.”
Examples
simple
“My grandparents were born in the 20th century.”
contextual
“The world changed dramatically during the 20th century with two world wars and many technological advances.”
complex
“Historians argue that the ideological conflicts that defined the 20th century have been replaced by new global challenges.”
Usage
This phrase almost always uses the definite article 'the' and an ordinal number (e.g., 20th, 21st).
Teaching tip
Drill the pattern: the century number is always one higher than the 'hundreds' of the years within it (e.g., the 1900s are in the 20th century).
Pitfall
He was born in 20 century.
He was born in the 20th century.
This phrase requires the definite article 'the' and an ordinal number ('20th'), not a cardinal number ('20').
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/the-20th-century