def englishNumber number
  #  We only want numbers from 0-100.
  if number < 0
    return 'Please enter a number zero or greater.'
  end
  if number > 100
    return 'Please enter a number 100 or lesser.'
  end
  
  numString = ''  #  This is the string we will return.

  #### this is where I get confused... ####
  
  #  "left" is how much of the number we still have left to write out.
  #  "write" is the part we are writing out right now.
  #  write and left... get it?  :)
  left  = number
  write = left/100          #  How many hundreds left to write out?
  left  = left - write*100  #  Subtract off those hundreds.
  #### wouldn't left be always a zero? Lets say I enter 30, left = 30 - (3*10)?
  
  if write > 0
    return 'one hundred'
  end
  
  write = left/10          #  How many tens left to write out?
  left  = left - write*10  #  Subtract off those tens.
  #### same here, I don't understand this at all. How is left going to be anything
  #### other than < zero? Say I enter 3. left = 3 - (30) that's -27... 
  
  if write > 0
    if write == 1  #  Uh-oh...
      #  Since we can't write "tenty-two" instead of "twelve",
      #  we have to make a special exception for these.
  #### at this point I'm just feeling depressed, can't follow any of this despite
  #### his excellent comments. 

     if    left == 0
        numString = numString + 'ten'
      elsif left == 1
        numString = numString + 'eleven'
      elsif left == 2
        numString = numString + 'twelve'
      elsif left == 3
        numString = numString + 'thirteen'
      elsif left == 4
        numString = numString + 'fourteen'
      elsif left == 5
        numString = numString + 'fifteen'
      elsif left == 6
        numString = numString + 'sixteen'
      elsif left == 7
        numString = numString + 'seventeen'
      elsif left == 8
        numString = numString + 'eighteen'
      elsif left == 9
        numString = numString + 'nineteen'
      end
      #  Since we took care of the digit in the ones place already,
      #  we have nothing left to write.
      left = 0
    elsif write == 2
      numString = numString + 'twenty'
    elsif write == 3
      numString = numString + 'thirty'
    elsif write == 4
      numString = numString + 'forty'
    elsif write == 5
      numString = numString + 'fifty'
    elsif write == 6
      numString = numString + 'sixty'
    elsif write == 7
      numString = numString + 'seventy'
    elsif write == 8
      numString = numString + 'eighty'
    elsif write == 9
      numString = numString + 'ninety'
    end
    
    if left > 0
      numString = numString + '-'
    end
  end
  
  write = left  #  How many ones left to write out?
  left  = 0     #  Subtract off those ones.
  
  if write > 0
    if    write == 1
      numString = numString + 'one'
    elsif write == 2
      numString = numString + 'two'
    elsif write == 3
      numString = numString + 'three'
    elsif write == 4
      numString = numString + 'four'
    elsif write == 5
      numString = numString + 'five'
    elsif write == 6
      numString = numString + 'six'
    elsif write == 7
      numString = numString + 'seven'
    elsif write == 8
      numString = numString + 'eight'
    elsif write == 9
      numString = numString + 'nine'
    end
  end
  
  if numString == ''
    #  The only way "numString" could be empty is if
    #  "number" is 0.
    return 'zero'
  end
  
  #  If we got this far, then we had a number somewhere
  #  in between 0 and 100, so we need to return "numString".
  numString
end

puts englishNumber(  0)
puts englishNumber(  9)
puts englishNumber( 10)
puts englishNumber( 11)
puts englishNumber( 17)
puts englishNumber( 32)
puts englishNumber( 88)
puts englishNumber( 99)
puts englishNumber(100)

zero
nine
ten
eleven
seventeen
thirty-two
eighty-eight
ninety-nine
one hundred