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WRITE GUD ... YOU ARE WHAT YOU WRITE!
by Neal Doten
The "Write" Way to Use Numbers
Last month, I mentioned an interesting disparity between writing and mathematics - the relationship between parentheses and brackets. This month, I thought it would be fitting to explore one other related topic - writing numbers.
Not surprisingly, writing numbers correctly is another one of those infrequently used (and often forgotten) nuggets of knowledge that separates the good writers from the not-so- good. If you are reading this and the thought, "What's there to know about writing numbers?" whizzes through your mind, then stay tuned... this article's for you!
There are two basic rules for writing numbers. There are also two exceptions to those rules. I know, you are already thinking, "This is getting confusing..." Well, trust me. It's all pretty basic and I'll make it easy to keep it straight. This is the way it goes...
Rule number one states that the numbers (1 through 10) are written as words when they are used within a sentence. I want you to notice that I said "within a sentence" for a reason which I will get to shortly. The following is an example:
"A total of seven boats were disqualified in the first race of the All Abaco Regatta."
Rule number two covers the numbers 11 and up. When these numbers are used within a sentence, they are written as proper numbers using the digits (i.e., not spelled as words). Here's an example:
"There were 23 boats competing in the All Abaco Regatta - not bad for the first year!"
There... those are the two basic rules. They aren't that tough to remember. So, let's go on and take a look at the two exceptions.
The first exception deals with numbers that start a sentence - that's the critical point. (Before this, the rule focused on numbers within a sentence.) The exception states that any time you start a sentence with a number - no matter what the number is - you must write the number as a word. This illustrates the point:
"Four hundred people attended the ceremony honouring the new police recruits. Three dignitaries praised the new police officers for their hard work during the training programme."
The second exception to the basic rules for writing numbers involves those instances when you use numbered items within a sentence. You will remember this writing tip from the past article on colons (October '97 Abaco Journal). Whenever you use numbers to list a series of things within a sentence, the numbers are written as digits (or proper numbers) - even though you are using numbers one, two, three, etc.. Here's the example:
"There were many things wrong with the boat: (1) the hull leaked badly in rough seas; (2) the engine needed tuning; and (3) the steering cable was badly frayed."
That's all there is to it! The basics of writing numbers correctly are easy. Just remember the rules and the exceptions: within a sentence, the numbers one through ten are spelled as words and the numbers 11 and up are written as digits (i.e., proper numbers). The exceptions are: numbers that start a sentence are always spelled as words, and numbered items in a sentence are written as digits (e.g., (1), (2), etc.).
Richard Lederer's More Anguished English has some entertaining examples of writers' getting their facts wrong or mistakenly abusing the English language. I have collected a few here to use as a quiz for this article. Read (and chuckle) your way through them and see if you can tell which ones have written numbers correctly... and which ones haven't.
"One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second."
"Mike has grown 6 feet in the last two years."
"By then, she will have shed 80 of the 240 pounds [with which] she ... entered the ... hospital obesity programme. A third of her left behind!"
Newspaper headline: "Father of 9 Fined $100 for Failing to Stop"
Just to be sure there is no confusion, here are the answers: the first example has written the numbers correctly; the second one should have used "six;" the third one has written numbers correctly; and the fourth one should have used "nine" - the $100 is correct.
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