2026-07-24 US Money, Payment Methods, and Number Conventions

Session Overview

The class explored US coins and bills, focusing on how Americans write and say numbers — especially the difference between using a period as a decimal mark versus a comma as a thousands separator. Learners then compared payment habits in their home countries, discussing tap to pay, QR codes, Venmo, and even government-backed digital currencies. The session ended with a creative shop-building activity to practice writing prices and a round of the vocabulary card game Apples to Apples.

💬 Idioms

“apples to apples”

Comparing two things that are alike and in the same category; the opposite, ‘apples to oranges,’ means comparing things that are too different to be fairly compared

• Before choosing a phone plan, compare apples to apples — make sure both options include the same data limit.
• Saying a bicycle is slower than a plane is apples to oranges; they serve completely different purposes.

“bad apple”

One dishonest or troublesome person in an otherwise good group, who risks negatively influencing the others

• Most of the staff is reliable, but one bad apple keeps calling in sick on busy weekends.
• The coach said one bad apple on the team was spreading a negative attitude before every game.

“hardly worth anything”

Having almost no monetary or practical value; not worth the cost or effort

• The US penny is hardly worth anything now — it costs more to produce than its face value.
• After sitting in the garage for fifteen years, the old exercise bike was hardly worth anything.

📚 Vocabulary to Remember

• denomination — The official face value printed on a coin or banknote, such as $1, $5, or $20
  • The cashier asked if I wanted my change in small denominations so I could use it at the parking meter.
• counterfeit — Fake money (or goods) made to look like the real thing in order to deceive people
  • The store uses a special pen to check whether large bills are counterfeit before accepting them.
• decimal mark — The punctuation symbol that separates a whole number from its fractional part; in the US, a period (.) is used, so $3.75 means three dollars and seventy-five cents
  • In the US, the decimal mark is a period, so 3.75 means three dollars and seventy-five cents, not three thousand and seventy-five.
• in circulation — Actively being used and passed around in the economy; not stored away or taken out of use
  • The US Mint stopped making new pennies, so only the coins already in circulation will remain.
• cover fee — An entrance charge you pay at the door of a bar, club, or event, separate from anything you buy inside
  • The venue charges a $10 cover fee on Friday nights, so it is a good idea to bring cash.
• tap to pay — A contactless payment method where you hold your phone or credit card near a reader to complete a purchase without swiping or inserting a card
  • I left my wallet at home, but I was still able to use tap to pay with my phone to buy lunch.
• enunciate — To pronounce each word clearly and distinctly so the listener can easily understand
  • Language teachers tend to enunciate more carefully in class than they do in everyday conversation.
• heirloom — A valuable or meaningful object that has been passed down from one generation to the next within a family
  • My grandmother’s gold watch is a family heirloom that will one day belong to my daughter.

🔧 Say It Better

1. ❌ She don’t know who this is. ✅ She doesn’t know who this is. 💡 Third-person singular subjects (he / she / it) require ‘doesn’t,’ not ‘don’t.’
2. ❌ I have one year here and I never use any of the cash. ✅ I have been here for one year and I have never used any cash. 💡 Use the present perfect (‘have been,’ ‘have used’) for situations that started in the past and continue up to now.
3. ❌ My wife don’t like to meet Korean people. ✅ My wife doesn’t like to meet Korean people. 💡 Third-person singular subjects need ‘doesn’t’ in negative sentences.
4. ❌ But didn’t use any Korean languaging. ✅ But they didn’t use any Korean. 💡 ‘Languaging’ is not a standard English word; the sentence also needs a subject (’they’) to be complete.
5. ❌ And the 1st time, I cannot catch it. ✅ The first time, I couldn’t catch it. 💡 Use ‘couldn’t’ (past tense of ‘can’t’) when describing a past inability; ‘cannot’ is present tense.
6. ❌ It’s very difficult to understand native speakers, speed, speaking speed. ✅ It is very difficult to understand native speakers’ speaking speed. 💡 Use the possessive apostrophe (‘speakers’’) to show that the speed belongs to the speakers.
7. ❌ Sometimes I’m eating the word, I think, omitting the word. ✅ Sometimes I think I’m dropping or omitting words. 💡 ‘Eating a word’ is not standard English; ‘dropping a word’ or ‘omitting a word’ expresses the idea naturally.
8. ❌ There is some other means to paint with the coin. ✅ There are some other ways to pay with currency. 💡 ‘Means’ used as a plural noun takes ‘are’; ‘paint’ appears to be a mishearing of ‘pay’; ‘currency’ is clearer than ‘coin’ here.
9. ❌ In my phone, one app downloaded, they pay this app for money. ✅ On my phone, I downloaded an app that I use to pay. 💡 Use ‘on’ with devices (‘on my phone’); the sentence needs a clear subject (‘I’) and a relative clause to connect the ideas.
10. ❌ Sometime I bought Facebook Marketplace, sometimes people says only he accepted cash. ✅ Sometimes on Facebook Marketplace, people say they only accept cash. 💡 ‘Sometimes’ (not ‘sometime’) for repeated events; ‘people say’ needs no -s; use ’they’ not ‘he’ when referring back to ‘people.’

✅ Check Yourself

Q1. The US penny is ____ — it costs more to produce than it is worth, which is why the Mint has stopped making new ones.

• hardly worth anything
• in circulation
• counterfeit

Q2. Before the cashier accepted the $100 bill, she held it up to the light to make sure it was not ____.

• counterfeit
• heirloom
• denomination

Q3. In the US, the ____ separates dollars from cents, so $4.99 means four dollars and ninety-nine cents, not four thousand and ninety-nine.

• decimal mark
• cover fee
• denomination

Q4. The old wooden clock on the mantle is a family ____ that has been passed down for over a hundred years.

• heirloom
• cover fee
• bad apple

Q5. The bar charges a $5 ____ on weekend nights, so the host reminded everyone to bring a little cash.

• cover fee
• tap to pay
• denomination

Q6. When you shop for apartments, be sure you are comparing ____: check that both listings include utilities in the monthly rent.

• apples to apples
• hardly worth anything
• in circulation

✍️ Mini Diary

This morning I finally made it to the Saturday farmers market downtown, something I had been putting off for weeks. Most stalls only accepted cash, and the loose coins rattling in my pocket were hardly worth anything — not nearly enough for even the smallest item. I had to find an ATM first, which cost me twenty minutes and a little embarrassment. Once I had bills in hand, I picked up a jar of local honey for $8.50, and I double-checked the decimal mark on the price card so I wouldn’t confuse dollars and cents the way I sometimes still do. Near the exit, a jewellery stall caught my eye; the maker explained that each piece was crafted to become a family heirloom, designed to be worn and passed on for generations. I spent more than I planned, but I walked home with a full bag and no regrets.