odd

Everyday

1. An odd number cannot be split into two equal whole groups, like 1, 3, 5 or 7. tree →
2. Odd also means strange or unusual. tree →
3. Odd means not part of a pair or set: an odd sock. tree →
4. Odd can mean «a few, now and then»: odd jobs, the odd sweet. tree →
5. «Odd one out» is the one that does not belong. tree →

In the lessons

In maths: a kind of number (1, 3, 5, …); also «odd one out»; odd and even numbers alternate on a number line. In everyday life: «an odd sock», «odd jobs», «that's odd». In science: an odd result that does not fit may be a mistake or a discovery. In stories: an odd noise, an odd old man.

Examples

• Is 7 an odd number? tree →
• List the odd numbers between 10 and 20. tree →
• He has an odd number of socks. tree →
• Find the odd one out. tree →
• The houses with odd numbers are on the left side of the street. tree →
• There was an odd smell in the kitchen. tree →
• I have one odd sock without its pair. tree →
• He does odd jobs to earn pocket money. tree →
• That's odd, the door was locked a minute ago. tree →
• But odd numbers are sometimes considered unlucky. tree →

Note

Odd numbers end in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9. Odd + odd = even; odd + even = odd; odd × odd = odd. Trap: «odd» as «strange» has nothing to do with numbers. Zero is even, not odd. «Odds» means the chance of something happening.