quik question re: numbers

[adetaildiva]

It's early & caffine hasn't kicked in yet. What's the accepted cut off for numbers? When writing, one should spell out numbers up to 20? 25? 50? 100? The story I'm editing is crawling with numbers & vascilates between using actual numbers & spelling them out. Just wanna guide the author down the path.

I'd appreciate any quik (preferably edging toward correct) answer to this seemingly primary question. But it's Saturday -- gimme a break (please?).

Thanks!!

 

[drksideofthemoon]

It's early & caffine hasn't kicked in yet. What's the accepted cut off for numbers? When writing, one should spell out numbers up to 20? 25? 50? 100? The story I'm editing is crawling with numbers & vascilates between using actual numbers & spelling them out. Just wanna guide the author down the path.

I'd appreciate any quik (preferably edging toward correct) answer to this seemingly primary question. But it's Saturday -- gimme a break (please?).

Thanks!!

Yes, you should spell out numbers. There are a few exceptions, time, date etc.

She drove the 6 miles to the party.

She drove the six miles to the party.

Which line seems to read smoother? A different part of the brain is used for number recognition, and when it has to process a number there is a little bump in the flow.

 

[adetaildiva]

hmmmm

Yes, you should spell out numbers. There are a few exceptions, time, date etc.

Oh. I had a memory of some obscure "rule" saying that numbers over, like, 50 or 100 could be included in prose as actual numbers. Well, darn. Now I gotta learn to spell numbers over one thousand.

Okay, then. Arbitrary number: 1900. Is it "nineteen hundred" or "one thousand nine hundred"?

Thanks again!!

 

[drksideofthemoon]

Oh. I had a memory of some obscure "rule" saying that numbers over, like, 50 or 100 could be included in prose as actual numbers. Well, darn. Now I gotta learn to spell numbers over one thousand.

Okay, then. Arbitrary number: 1900. Is it "nineteen hundred" or "one thousand nine hundred"?

Thanks again!!

It depends. If 1900 refers to the year, I'd leave it as a number.

The regiment was nineteen-hundred strong in May of 1914.

I think the only time you would use one thousand nine hundred is if you were writing a check. Or for emphasis.

The regiment was one thousand nine hundred strong in May of 1914. By August, only about eight hundred of us remained.

Maybe someone in here has access to the book that deals with all things writerly, Strunk or something like that..

 

[CopyCarver]

Oh. I had a memory of some obscure "rule" saying that numbers over, like, 50 or 100 could be included in prose as actual numbers. Well, darn. Now I gotta learn to spell numbers over one thousand.

Okay, then. Arbitrary number: 1900. Is it "nineteen hundred" or "one thousand nine hundred"?

Thanks again!!

The "rule" has a nasty habit of varying, depending upon the individual quoting it. One version is that single digit numbers should be spelled out and that double-digit numbers should be expressed numerically. Others insist on spelling out two digit numbers using hyphens, e.g. eighty-three, and switching to numerical notation for three digit numbers, e.g. 100 follows ninety-nine. Personally, I use the first convention when writing nonfiction, but I generally followed the second in the long-gone days when I could still earn a living writing fiction.

Neither would be really wrong for fiction, however.

I can't think of any reason to spell out three or four or five digit numbers; doing so would get extremely unwieldy and would disrupt the flow of your story far more than a nice, simple 1,900 unless, of course, you're intentionally revealing something about a protagonist's thought or speech patterns.

As Darkside pointed out, dates, addresses, and some other numbers are nearly always expressed numerically. There are also a few usages in which convention calls for Roman numerals, e.g. "World War II" or "Pope John XXIII"

I hope some of this is useful

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Good Question

This gives me the pefect opportunity to ask about "times".

What is the most correct way for stating times?

a) Nine o'clock

b) Nine p.m.

c) 9:00

d) 2100 hours

e) 9:00 pm

 

[drksideofthemoon]

This gives me the pefect opportunity to ask about "times".

What is the most correct way for stating times?

a) Nine o'clock

b) Nine p.m.

c) 9:00

d) 2100 hours

e) 9:00 pm

In my opinion, I think all acceptable, I would only use the 2100 for a military, or para-military type story or character though.

 

[adetaildiva]

my memory's not a dud

The "rule" has a nasty habit of varying, depending upon the individual quoting it.

Others insist on spelling out two digit numbers using hyphens, e.g. eighty-three, and switching to numerical notation for three digit numbers, e.g. 100 follows ninety-nine.

This is exactly the information I was trying to remember. For this particular story's purpose, I think I'll encourage your train of thought, CC. Who knows -- I might even invent a whole new "number rule"! Okay, NOT.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

 

[BanditIRA]

Yes, you should spell out numbers. There are a few exceptions, time, date etc.

She drove the 6 miles to the party.

She drove the six miles to the party.

Which line seems to read smoother? A different part of the brain is used for number recognition, and when it has to process a number there is a little bump in the flow.

I pretty much agree with you, to me spelling out the number just looks so much better than just putting a 6. *shrugs*

 

[CopyCarver]

This gives me the pefect opportunity to ask about "times".

What is the most correct way for stating times?

a) Nine o'clock

b) Nine p.m.

c) 9:00

d) 2100 hours

e) 9:00 pm

As much as I hate saying "me too," I agree with drkside: all are quite correct but 2100 hours probably wouldn't work too well except when confusing Henry Blake.

Who knows -- I might even invent a whole new "number rule"! Okay, NOT.QUOTE]


It worked for George Boole!

 

[watcher20055]

By the Numbers

Newspapers and magazines usually spell numbers nine and below and use numerals for 10 and above. 9 pm works for me in a story.

One way to learn this stuff is to read this stuff. When you read a news story, look at where they place commas, use introductory phrases and the like. You can usually trust written media (Newsweek and the Boston Globe, for instance) to get it right because they have an editor review the written story. Don't trust email or some erotica because the writer may not take pride in their prose or may depend on spell-check to get it right. It may be spelled right, but the wrong word.

Good luck!

 

[snooper]

... One way to learn this stuff is to read this stuff. When you read a news story, look at where they place commas, use introductory phrases and the like. You can usually trust written media (Newsweek and the Boston Globe, for instance) to get it right because they have an editor review the written story. ...

This is a valid suggestion only if you want to write journalese. If you want to write literature, reading newspapers will get you into some very bad habits such as:
all short sentences,
and a target reading age of ten years old (which I believe is known as sixth grade in the USA),
and using too many abbreviations (like "currentlywise" instead of "now"),
and using acronyms known only to people living locally to the newspaper concerned (like TA, which everyone knows means the Tredegar Arms public house; everyone in the readership of the Rhymney Valley Express that is).

... Don't trust email or some erotica because the writer may not take pride in their prose or may depend on spell-check to get it right. It may be spelled right, but the wrong word. ...

Here I agree with you. Some of the worst writing I have ever seen is posted on Internet sites offering free erotic stories (mentioning no names). If you want to write literature, read literature and model your work on it.

 

[palisa]

I would quibble with some of the criticisms of journalistic practice, which is to spell out numbers up to nine and use digits for the rest. There are exceptions, though, for time, currency, measurements and others -- depending on the style book of the journal in question.

But the important thing is to have a style and be consistent with it, except when you have a well-considered reason to be inconsistent because of what you're trying to convey.

 

[adetaildiva]

basking in the wealth

*happy sigh* Who knew that something as boring as numbers could gain such discussions & reveal such knowledge among the masses?

In case anyone remembers or cares, I advised the author to spell out numbers under 100 for this particular story. In turn, he chose to spell out all numbers regardless of length, mumbling something about needing to use up space.

I'm glad to know I've got somewhere to come in the future for the answers to unusual questions about arcane subject matter. (I love living in the past!)

All o' y'all are the best!!