What are the rules for referencing numbers?

[warmAmber]

Hi. I had an editor correct my use of "30 seconds" to "thirty seconds." I'm not disputing the edit though I'd like to know...

When is it acceptable to use digits and when must one spell them? For some reason I remember the rule as numbers 12 and under must be spelled out and any number above 12 could be represented in digit form. Yes, that grammar lesson was years ago!

Anyway, for my future reference, if anyone has a good rule of thumb for when to spell and when digits are acceptable I'd appreciate that information!

Thanks - Amber
P.S. the story is in the Earth Day 2008 contest:
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=358521

 

[starrkers]

When I worked on newspapers the rule was nine and under as words, 10 and over as numerals. But in standard fiction writing, it is more usual to write out all numbers, unless it's a phone number or an address. It's just easier for the reader.

 

[warmAmber]

Ah. My expository writing roots are showing! (grabbing for my bottle of bleach! *s*) Thanks for the clarification!

 

[freshface]

Hi. I had an editor correct my use of "30 seconds" to "thirty seconds." I'm not disputing the edit though I'd like to know...

When is it acceptable to use digits and when must one spell them? For some reason I remember the rule as numbers 12 and under must be spelled out and any number above 12 could be represented in digit form. Yes, that grammar lesson was years ago!

Anyway, for my future reference, if anyone has a good rule of thumb for when to spell and when digits are acceptable I'd appreciate that information!

Thanks - Amber
P.S. the story is in the Earth Day 2008 contest:
http://www.literotica.com/stories/showstory.php?id=358521

I was taught to generally spell out numbers less than 100. Others say that numbers over ten can be represented in digits. You should be consistent in the sentence. "I want four apples and 12 oranges" would not be correct.

Most of the time, you should spell out times. Digits are used when referring to an exact time or when using A.M. or P.M. "I must wake up at four o'clock to be on time for my 7:44 flight." or "I must wake up at 4:00 A.M. to be on time for my 7:44 flight." Either way, "The taxi will be here in thirty minutes."

http://www.grammarbook.com/numbers/numbers.asp provides more details.

 

[warmAmber]

Thanks, freshface. I need to find my copy of "Elements of Style" book which must have two inches of dust on it! I'm sure there's much in there that will help me in my struggles with fiction, and then I won't have to ask such questions here. I do appreciate your taking the time to reply!

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

The use of numerals in a piece of fiction is not decorative. It makes the story read like a laboratory report or a hastily composed news story. Use words for most figures. Obviously there are some exceptions (eg. ‘a •22 rifle’; ‘1600, Pennsylvania Avenue’).

 

[warmAmber]

snooper... thanks. I've written manuals where "go to section 14" is a better signal to the reader than "go to section fourteen" is. I'll need to break that habit in my fiction writing. *s*

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

snooper... thanks. I've written manuals where "go to section 14" is a better signal to the reader than "go to section fourteen" is. I'll need to break that habit in my fiction writing. *s*

If I had to cross reference a section (chapter) in a story [God forbid] I would use numerals. Where I diverge from most people is on time, where I would write "I set the alarm for four o'clock because the flight was at 7:43." The alarm time is not intended to be accurate, whereas the timetable information is to the minute. This, I suspect, is because I learned about the time before the advent of digital watches and clocks, so I still think of 7:43 as "about a quarter to eight" and for most transport modes in the UK 7:43 really means the driver/pilot will put down his/her newspaper and think about leaving at about a quarter to eight.

 

[sr71plt]

The number style for fiction and humanities nonfiction (from the Chicago Manual of Style, chapter 9) is numbers below 100 generally spelled out. There are exceptions--percentage figures, some time and measurement, chapter numbers.

The style of newspapers (AP, pp. 144-46) and scientific material (APA, 3.42-3.49) is to spell out numbers under 10.

 

[CopyCarver]

snooper... thanks. I've written manuals where "go to section 14" is a better signal to the reader than "go to section fourteen" is. I'll need to break that habit in my fiction writing. *s*

I'm not at all certain that you really want to break that habit. Everyone is so accustomed to seeing chapter or section numbers represented either as Arabic or Roman numerals that they would probably look strange if spelled out. I usually treat them as if they were addresses.

The operative word is usually. As with every other guideline known to humankind, there are exceptions.