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
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