There's not a specific name for it in the way you're thinking. If you're looking at object A, then object B is next. One could say that object C is "the one after that," but it's also just as common to say third. Anything larger than two (for this one and next) gets unwieldy and English just uses the number. It wouldn't be the next 100th, simply the 100th. Spoken aloud, the "one" is dropped and it's said as "the hundredth." Usually, that is. You wouldn't be incorrect in adding "the" because English likes to make up its own rules.
this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
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English usage and grammar
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Thank you. My problem is differentiating the "coming" 100th from the "past" 100th. But I realize my post in unclear about that, I'll edit it now!
It depends how you’re counting I think. If you’re just counting things, you would normally just say the number, “the 100th widget” or “the 100th day”. No need for any other descriptor. But if you’re counting things relative to time, I would say “100 widgets later” or “100 days later.” Next is very specific since it refers to only the thing directly after the current one, so it isn’t really used for high amounts of things.
I don’t have a reference since this was never directly taught in any of the schools I went to. This is just how I’ve always heard other people say it.
Thank you. The problem with "the 100th widget" is that it would refer to the 100th since the sequence started, but I'd like to refer the the 100th if I were to start counting now. "100 widgets later" is an adverb rather than an adjective, but maybe I can build a sentence around it.
You can just say “the 100th from now”
Thank you for confirming that! I was very unsure.
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