Sign Up For Our Free Grammar E-Newsletter

Writing Numbers as Words

Many readers have asked me why people write numbers this way:

Example: We will need 220 (two hundred twenty) chairs.

Isn’t it unnecessary to have both numerals and words for the same number?

Rule of Thumb: There are two reasons for using both: 1. You are more likely to make an error when typing a numeral than when typing a word AND much less likely to spot the error when proofreading. 2. If your document is dense, has a lot of numbers, or contains large numbers, the numerical form helps your readers scan information quickly.

So by typing a combination of a numeral and a word, you are almost guaranteed accuracy and ease of reading.

Rule: Some authorities say that the numbers one through nine or ten should be spelled out and figures used for higher numbers. Other authorities spell out one through one hundred, plus even hundreds, thousands, and so on. The best strategy is to be consistent.

Correct Examples: I want five copies, not ten copies. I want 5 copies, not 10 copies.

Rule: Be consistent within a category. For example, if you choose numerals because one of the numbers you must deal with is greater than ten, you should use numerals for everything in that category. If you use numbers in different categories, use figures for one category and words for the other.

Correct Example: Given the budget constraints, if all 30 history students attend the four plays, then the 7 math students will be able to attend only two plays.
(Students are represented with figures; plays are represented with words.)

Incorrect Example: I asked for five pencils, not 50.

Posted on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at 2:13 pm

Numbers as Adjectives

A subscriber recently wrote in with a question that’s a good followup to last week’s Tip of the Week, Writing Numbers:
“When are hyphens used with numbers? Is it 13 feet or 13-feet; 12 hours or 12-hours?”

Rule: Generally, hyphenate between two or more adjectives when they come before a noun and act as a single idea.

This rule can also be applied when a number and a measurement unit taken together form an adjective, that is, when they describe another object.

Examples:
A 22-inch monitor is too big for my desk.
Nurses work 12-hour shifts.
Anthony swung his five-pound hammer.
In the previous sentences, the measurements, such as 22-inch, describe specific objects, such as monitor.

When measurements are not acting as adjectives, hyphens are not needed.

Examples:
Suzanne won the race by 25 yards.
Twelve hours later, she was exhausted.
Anthony’s hammer weighs five pounds.

Pop Quiz: Choose A or B.

1. A. I can’t believe she wrote a 33-page treatise on how to screw in a light bulb.
1. B. I can’t believe she wrote a 33 page treatise on how to screw in a light bulb.

2. A. I can’t believe she wrote 33-pages on how to screw in a light bulb.
2. B. I can’t believe she wrote 33 pages on how to screw in a light bulb.

3. A. Harold found a 110-year-old book at the flea market.
3. B. Harold found a 110 year old book at the flea market.

4. A. Harold found a book that must have been 110-years-old at the flea market.
4. B. Harold found a book that must have been 110 years old at the flea market.

Answers

1. A.
2. B.
3. A.
4. B.

Posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 4:07 pm

Writing Dates and Times

Rule: The following examples apply when using dates:

The meeting is scheduled for June 30.
The meeting is scheduled for the 30th of June.
We have had tricks played on us on April 1.
The 1st of April puts some people on edge.

Rule: When expressing decades, you may spell them out and lowercase them.

Example: During the eighties and nineties, the United States economy grew.

Rule: Whether you express decades using incomplete or complete numerals, do not use an apostrophe between the year and the s. When using an incomplete numeral, use an apostrophe to replace the first two numbers.

Correct:
During the ’80s, the world’s economy grew.
During the 1980s, the world’s economy grew.

Incorrect:
During the ’80′s, the world’s economy grew.
During the 1980′s, the world’s economy grew.

Rule: Spell out the time of day in text even with half and quarter hours. With o’clock, the number is always spelled out.

Example: She gets up at four thirty before the baby wakes up.
Example: The baby wakes up at five o’clock in the morning.

Rule: Use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized.

Example: Her flight leaves at 6:22 a.m.
Example: Please arrive by 12:30 p.m. sharp.

Rule: Use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.

Note: You may use AM and PM rather than a.m. and p.m.

Quiz: Correct or Incorrect?

1. The last outbreak of smallpox occurred in the late 1970’s.
2. Can you get here by 12:00 midnight?
3. Please deliver the package by August 1st, 2009.

Answers:

1. 1970s
2. midnight (leave out 12:00)
3. August 1, 2009

Posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 at 11:24 pm

Fractions, Decimals, and Money

Rule: Always spell out simple fractions and use hyphens with them.

Example: One-half of the pies have been eaten.

Rule: A mixed fraction can be expressed in figures unless it is the first word of a sentence.

Example: We expect a 5 1/2 percent wage increase.
Example: Five and one-half percent was the maximum allowable interest.

Rule: Hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.

Example: Forty-three people were injured in the train wreck.

Rule: Replace a decimal point with and when you write out amounts on a check.

Example: Fifty-two dollars and forty-six cents

Rule: Express large numbers simply. Be careful to be consistent within a sentence.

Correct: You can earn from one million to five million dollars.
Incorrect: You can earn from one million to $5,000,000.
Correct: You can earn from $500 to $5,000,000.
Incorrect: You can earn from $500 to $5 million.
Correct: You can earn from five hundred to five million dollars.
Incorrect: You can earn from $500 to five million dollars.

Rule: Write decimals in figures. Place a zero in front of a decimal unless the decimal itself begins with a zero.

Example: The plant grew 0.79 of a foot in one year.
Example: The plant grew only .07 of a foot this year because of the drought.

Quiz: Correct or incorrect?

1. Eighty one people were injured in the train accident.
2. I wrote a check for $300, not $3000.00.
3. Hair grows one fourth of an inch per month.
4. The tree grew .95 of a foot due to a wet winter.

Answers: All sentences were incorrect.

1. Eighty-one
2. $3000
3. one-fourth
4. 0.95

Posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 at 11:22 pm

Writing Numbers as Words

Is it necessary to put a numeral in parentheses after you have already written the number in words?

Example: We will need two (2) chairs.

Conversely, is it necessary to write the number in words after you have already used the numeral?

Example: We will need 200 (two hundred) chairs.

If your document is dense, has a lot of numbers, or contains large numbers, the numerical form helps your readers scan information quickly. Conversely, while we may make a typo with only a numeral, we are almost guaranteed accuracy by writing the number in word format. So using a combination of numerals and written number format can be useful without being redundant.

Posted on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 am

Next Page »