In Chicago style, as opposed to AP style, we would write four hundred , eight thousand , and twenty million with no numerals—but like AP, Chicago style would require numerals for ; 8, ; and 20,, This is a complex topic, with many exceptions, and there is no consistency we can rely on among blogs, books, newspapers, and magazines. This chapter will confine itself to rules that all media seem to agree on.
Rule 1. Spell out all numbers beginning a sentence. Examples: Twenty-three hundred sixty-one victims were hospitalized. Twenty twenty was quite a year. Rule 2a. Hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine. Examples: Forty-three people were injured in the train wreck. Twenty-seven of them were hospitalized. Rule 2b. Hyphenate all written-out fractions. Examples: We recovered about two-thirds of the stolen cash. One-half is slightly less than five-eighths. Rule 3a. With figures of four or more digits, use commas.
Count three spaces to the left to place the first comma. Continue placing commas after every three digits. Important : Do not include decimal points when doing the counting. Note: Some choose not to use commas with four-digit numbers, but this practice is not recommended. Rule 3b. It is not necessary to use a decimal point or a dollar sign when writing out sums of less than a dollar. Better: He had only sixty cents. OR He had only 60 cents. Rule 3c. Do not add the word "dollars" to figures preceded by a dollar sign.
Rule 4a. For clarity, use noon and midnight rather than PM and AM. AM and PM are also written A. Some put a space between the time and AM or PM. Examples: 8 AM P. Example: 8AM P. For the top of the hour, some write PM , whereas others drop the and write 9 PM or 9 p. Rule 4b. Using numerals for the time of day has become widely accepted. Examples: The flight leaves at a.
That said, writers often choose to restructure their sentences when the numbers become cumbersome for the reader. Five finalists will qualify for the next round of the competition. Seventeen seventy-six was the year America became a nation.
In , America became a nation. Scientific and technical journals, and even news reports, often adhere to the rule that only numbers less than ten should be written out in full, except when fractions or decimals are involved. This can be a sensible approach to ensuring the readability of texts that refer to numbers and figures frequently. The color blue was preferred by five out of eleven experiment participants.
Did you know the average snail moves at 0. The Milky Way is approximately Canada has a population of nearly 36 million. When using abbreviations for units of measurement in your writing, always express numbers as numerals. Here are some recommendations:. Now, here are two exceptions to this rule frequently encountered in business. What issues do you have with numbers in English?
Let us know so we can address them in an upcoming post! Share with a friend:. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Here are some recommendations: Use numerals for all numbers for short email communications, as well as for texts, chats and social media.
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