Any location can serve as the origin.

• Compensates for non-zero fractional or mixed number origin.
  
• Compensates for non-zero whole number origin with mixed number measures (e.g., 3 ½). Note: Some students treat this measure as 4 ½ because they think of the ½ as representing the fourth count, and they recognize the part of the unit as ½, so its measure is read as 4 "and a half."
  
• Compensates for non-zero origin of 2 with whole number measures.
  
• Compensates for non-zero origin of 1 with whole number measures.
  
• Reads whatever number is aligned with the end of the object being measured regardless of starting point (0, 1, 2 etc.)