Grammar: Using Numbers

* Usage: - When using numbers in essays and reports, it is important to decide whether to write the number out in full (two hundred thousand four hundred and six) or to use numerals (200,406). * General Rules: - There are some rules to follow to make sure you use numbers in the right way. 1) Use words if the number can be written in two words of fewer. Remember that some words require a hyphen. Ex: twenty-six, thirty-nine. Note: Some guides recommend that numbers up to nine should be written in words, and those over nine written using numerals. 2) You should use numerals if the number modifies a unit of measurement, time or proportion Ex: 5 minutes, 8 kilograms, 54 mph. * Note: Abbreviations of units of measure should always be in the singular. Ex: 8 kg, 17cm, 12,900 km. More Examples: I live at number forty-eight. I thought there were nine biscuits left in the tin? My new car does 0-60 mph in just over 12 minutes. She broke the long jump record by 17 centimeters. The prize marrow weighed over 67 kg. 3) Numerals should be used for all larger numbers although the context might determine the precise usage. In technical writing such numbers should always be written using numerals. If the number is less precise, it may be possible to write the number in words. Ex: The rock sample measured 17.74 grams when dried. Most of the students grades were 88.6, with a standard deviation of 14.3. There are over thirty million people living in Mexico City. Florida contains several thousand disenfranchised voters. 4) Numerals should always be used for decimals and fractions Ex: 7.625, 1/4 in, 1/2 a pint, 0.75 * Note: if the figures are vague: Ex: ...half the voters in the country..., ...two thirds of the population cannot use a colon correctly. More Examples: Following the drying process, 1/2 a gram of copper sulphate was added. Students spend more than half their disposable income on baked beans. She beat the world pole-vault record by 1/4 cm. Nearly a quarter of the world's population survives on less than a dollar a day. 5) Place a hyphen after a unit of measure when the unit modifies a noun Ex: 10-foot pole, 6-inch rule, 3-year-old horse. More Examples: He tried to retrieve the lost bottle with a 5-foot stick. I teach a class of angelic 7-year-old children. The thief was unable to scale the 12-metre fence.

Grammar: Using Numbers

6) There are occasions where combining written numbers and numerals will clear up possible confusion. Where you have two numbers running together, write the shorter one out in words and use numerals for the longer one. Ex: I have a lovely class of 32 seven-year-old children. We need another 12 five-litre bottles. The thief made off with twenty 1000-dollar bills. He counted out 200 fifty-pence pieces. * Note: You should avoid beginning a sentence with a number that is not written out. If a sentence begins with a year, write 'The year' before writing out the year in numbers. Ex: One hundred and seventeen protests were lodged with the ombudsman. Six hundred and thirty-five nuggets were discovered in the first day of the gold rush. The year 1849 saw the great gold rush in California. 7) You should always use numerals in the following situations: a) With dates: Ex: Monday 20 April, 1968. I will arrive on Tuesday 17 May, 2004. They are due back from their holiday on Monday 23 June. b) With fractions, decimals and percentages. The word 'percent' should be written out in words unless it is part of a technical report, in which case it is fine to use the mathematical symbol (%). Ex: You will need to add 1/2 a teaspoon of treacle. More than 20 percent of students admit to spending more on pot noodles than on books. The IQ scores of the children in the control group increased by 25.75 points. c) With money. The only exception to this is when the amounts are vague. In such cases it is fine to write the numbers out in words. Ex: The concert tickets cost US 27.50 each. Consumers spend over US 6 million a year on cokes. Global ice-cream sales exceeded $ 1.2 million last month. d) With times. Again, if timings are vague it is fine to write them out in words. Ex: The plane from London will arrive at 16:45. I'll see you at around half past seven. The early morning bus arrived at 05:10 on the dot. We left the pub at around eight o'clock and got home at around nine.

Grammar: Using Numbers

* Test - Mark (X) which of the following sentences uses numbers correctly: 1 a) b) c) 2 a) b) c) Twenty-five people wrote in with the right answer. 25 people wrote in with the right answer. Twenty five people wrote in with the right answer. In my class there are 27 12 year old children. In my class there are twenty-seven 12 year-old children. In my class there are 27 twelve-year-old children.

a) b) c)

Nineteen-ninety-four was a fantastic year. The year 1994 was fantastic. 19 ninety-four was a fantastic year.

a) b) c)

The distance from London to Auckland is eighteen thousand four hundred and twentysix km. The distance from London to Auckland is 18,426 kms. The distance from London to Auckland is 18,426 km.

a) b) c)

Mr Titchmarsh was very proud of the 18-foot sunflower. Mr Titchmarsh was very proud of the eighteen foot sunflower. Mr Titchmarsh was very proud of the 18 foot sunflower.

a) 5 b) c)

Our journey took us over nine thousand kms. Our journey took us over 9,000 km. Our journey took us over 9,000 kms.

Grammar: Using Numbers

a) b) c)

We need six 50-watt bulbs for our new flat. We need 6 50-watt bulbs for our new flat. We need 6 fifty-watt bulbs for our new flat.

1. General Rules:

Grammar: Using Numbers

Rule 1 - The numbers one through ten should be spelled out; use figures for numbers greater than ten. Ex. I want five copies or I want 15 copies. Rule 2 - With a group of related numbers where one number is above 10 in a sentence, write the numbers all in figures. Use words if all related numbers are 10 or below. Correct - I asked for 5 pencils, not 50. Correct - My ten cats fought with his one cat. His cat won. Incorrect - I asked for five pencils, not 50. Rule 3 - If the numbers are unrelated, then you may use both figures and words. One through ten should again be spelled out. Ex. I asked for 30 pencils for my five employees. My nine cavities are exceeded in number by my 14 teeth. My ten toes exceed in number my one nose. Rule 4 - Always spell out simple fractions and use hyphens with them. Ex. One-half of the pies have been eaten. A two-thirds majority is required for that bill to pass in Congress. Rule 5 - A mixed fraction can be expressed in figures unless it is the first word of a sentence. Ex. We expect a 5 1/2 percent wage increase. Five and one-half percent was the maximum allowable interest. Rule 6 - The simplest way to express large numbers is best but be careful to be consistent within a sentence. Ex. 4 million dollars OR $4 million OR four million dollars (not $4,000,000) Correct - You can earn anywhere from $500 to $5,000,000. Incorrect -You can earn anywhere 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 7 - Write decimals in figures. Put a zero in front of a decimal unless the decimal itself begins with a zero. Ex. The plant grew 0.79 of a foot in one year. The plant grew only .07 of a foot this year because of the drought. Rule 8 -When writing out large numbers of five or more digits before the decimal point, use a comma where the comma would appear in the figure format. Use the word and only where the decimal point appears in the figure format. Ex. $15,768.13 (Fifteen thousand, seven hundred sixty-eight dollars and thirteen cents) $1054.21 (One thousand fifty-four dollars and twenty-one cents) * Note: The comma is now commonly omitted in four-digit whole numbers. Rule 9 - The following examples apply when using dates: Ex. The meeting is scheduled for June 30. The meeting is scheduled for the 30th of June. We have had tricks played on us on April 1. The 1st of April puts some people on edge. Rule 10 - Write out a number if it begins a sentence. Ex. Twenty-nine people won an award for helping their communities. That 29 people won an award for helping their communities was fantastic!

Grammar: Using Numbers

Cardinal numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 oh, zero, love, nought One Two Three Four Five Six seven eight Nine Tem Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty twenty-one Thirty Forty Fifty Sixty Seventy Eighty Ninety a/one hundred a/one thousand ten thousand a/one hundred thousand --1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th first second third fourth fifth sixth seventh eighth ninth Ordinal numbers

10th tenth 11th eleventh 12th twelfth 13th thirteenth 14th fourteenth 15th fifteenth 16th sixteenth 17th seventeenth 18th eighteenth 19th nineteenth 20th twentieth 21st twenty-first 30th thirtieth 40th fourtieth 50th fiftieth 60th sixtieth 70th seventieth 80th eightieth 90th ninetieth 100th one hundretieth

Grammar: Using Numbers

1,000,000 1,000,000,000 a/one million a/one billion

Writing Numbers Rules: 1) Days and Years December 12, 1965 or 12 December 1965 A.D. 1066 in 1900 in 1971-72 or in 1971-1972 the eighties, the twentieth century the 1980's or the 1980s 2) Dates Don't use a comma in dates giving only the month and year. January 1995 Use two commas to set off the year in dates giving the month, day, and year. Does July 5, 1909, ring a bell? Use an en-dash instead of a hyphen between the first and second number to denote inclusive dates. When the century or the millenium changes, all the digits are repeated. The 19992000 catalog is for sale at the bookstore. This course isn't offered in 20002001. When writing inclusive dates between 2001 and 2009, don't include the 0 after the en-dash. The professor will be on leave during 20034. Except in formal invitations, use cardinal rather than ordinal numbers for the date. The ceremony is scheduled for October 16, 2001. 3) Time of Day 8:00 A.M. (or) a.m. (or) eight o'clock in the morning 4:30 P.M. (or) p.m. (or) half-past four in the afternoon 4) Addresses 16 Tenth Street 350 West 114 Street 5) Identification Numbers Room 8 Channel 18 Interstate 65 Henry VIII 6) Page and Division of Books and Plays page 30 chapter 6 in act 3, scene 2 (or) in Act III, Scene II 7) Decimals and Percentages a 2.7 average 13 1/4 percent .037 metric ton

Grammar: Using Numbers

8) Large Round Numbers four billion dollars (or) $4 billion 16,500,000 (or) 16.5 million 9) Grade Point Average Carry grade point averages to two digits after the decimal. Ex: 2.50 (not 2.5) 4.00 (not 4.0) 10) Money Use figures for fractional amounts over one dollar. Use zeros after the decimal point for whole-dollar amounts only when they appear in the same context with fractional amounts. Ex: The ticket prices are $5.00 for general admission, $3.50 for students and senior citizens. $7.95 $2 $10 $579 $4,020 $100,000 $1.5 million In tables, use one formateither with or without decimalsconsistently. Use a label (e.g., Dollars) to avoid repeating the same symbol (e.g., $) over and over. Ex: More than, Fewer than Don't use over or under when referring to numbers; use more than or fewer than. Over and under refer to spatial relationships. More than and fewer than refer to quantity or to units you can count. But see also less or fewer and over or more than under Troublesome Terms. Ex: More than 16,000 students received the letters. Fewer than a dozen students received the letters. 11) Percent Percent is one word. Always use figures with it. Use decimals, not fractions. The % symbol may be used in scientific data or tables. 8.25 percent (not 8-1/4 percent) Notes on Usage: a) Repeat numbers in legal or commercial writing. The bill will not exceed one hundred (100) dollars. b) Numbers in series and statistics should be consistent. two apples, six oranges, and three bananas NOT: two apples, 6 oranges, and 3 bananas 115 feet by 90 feet (or) 115' x 90' scores of 25-6 (or) scores of 25 to 6 The vote was 9 in favor and 5 opposed c) Write out numbers beginning sentences. Six percent of the group failed. NOT: 6% of the group failed. d) Use a combination of figures and words for numbers when such a combination will keep your writing clear. Unclear: The club celebrated the birthdays of 6 90-year-olds who were born in the city. (may cause the reader to read '690' as one number.) Clearer: The club celebrated the birthdays of six 90-year-olds who were born in the city.

Grammar: Using Numbers

PRACTICE EXERCISES: A) Write the the name of cardinal and ordinal numbers: Numbers 13 25 36 42 51 63 77 89 94 101 226 345 Cardinal Ordinal

B) Complete the blank spaces with the correct numbers: 1) My phone number is _______________________ . 2) We expect a __________ this wage increase year. 3) A company manager can earn from US$ _______ up to US$ ______________. 4) The meeting is schedule for the ________ of June. 5) The total investment was US$ _____________________ . 6) US$ _________________ correspond to ____ % of the total investment. 7) Class starts at ___________ am in room _________. 8) His birthday date is on the _________ of July. 9) Is September ________, _____________ an important date in Brazil? 10) The ceremony is schedule for the ________ of October, __________.

Grammar: Using Numbers

C) Correct any errors in number usage in the following sentences by writing the correction to the left of the sentence. If the sentence is correct, mark C on the line to the left. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________

1. 351 people attended the performance. 2. There were one hundred and thirty-five pieces in the puzzle. 3. Class started at eight-thirty A.M. in Room Twenty. 4. In the sixties there were sit-ins at 100's of colleges. 5. Every afternoon at two o'clock the chimes rang. 6. The stock deal, which involved $4.5 billion, paid a twelve and a half percent dividend. 7. The Lafayette television station is Channel Eighteen. 8. They needed eight ten-foot poles for the construction. 9. The vote was 126 in favor of the action and only sixteen opposed. 10. The assignment was to read chapter 6, pages 31-39. 11. Only fifty percent of high school students go on to college. 12. We were assigned a report of about 10 pages in length.

10

Grammar: Using Numbers

The errors in number usage are corrected here. Three hundred and fifty-one 135 8:30 a.m. hundreds Correct

1. 351 people attended the performance. 2. There were one hundred and thirty-five pieces in the puzzle. 3. Class started at eight-thirty A.M. in Room Twenty. 4. In the sixties there were sit-ins at 100's of colleges. 5. Every afternoon at two o'clock the chimes rang. The stock deal, which involved $4.5 billion, paid a twelve and a half percent dividend.

12.5

6.

18 Correct 16 Correct 50 ten

7. The Lafayette television station is Channel Eighteen. 8. They needed eight ten-foot poles for the construction. 9. The vote was 126 in favor of the action and only sixteen opposed. 10. The assignment was to read chapter 6, pages 31-39. 11. Only fifty percent of high school students go on to college. 12. We were assigned a report of about 10 pages in length.

11

Grammar: Using Numbers

Exercise 1: Each sentence contains at least one error. Correct them. 1) I bought 3 computers. ______________________________________________________________________________ 2) I bought three computers and 20 printers. ______________________________________________________________________________ 3) 10 people came to the meeting at 10 o'clock. ______________________________________________________________________________ 4) They have sold four million copies of this software so far. ______________________________________________________________________________ 5) The 1st new computer system is ordered already. ______________________________________________________________________________ 6) I've tried this 2 or 3 times. ______________________________________________________________________________ 7) This sentence is 6 words long. ______________________________________________________________________________

8) This increases processing speed by five per cent. ______________________________________________________________________________ 9) The screen is 32.56 cm wide and eight cm tall. ______________________________________________________________________________ 10) Look in lab number seven. ______________________________________________________________________________ 11) Chapter 7 of this book begins on page 1,230. ______________________________________________________________________________ 12) The probability of getting this relationship by chance is less than 0.05. ______________________________________________________________________________ 13) 2 or three weeks ago that bug was fixed. ______________________________________________________________________________ 14) They voted by a 2/3 majority. ______________________________________________________________________________ 15) When the result is multiplied by one hundred, you get a percentage. ______________________________________________________________________________ 16) The first and tenth lines of the matrix contain 0s ______________________________________________________________________________ 17) Two two-part modules were added. ______________________________________________________________________________ 18) All of these 8's have to be written as words. ______________________________________________________________________________ 19) Please wait outside Room Seven. ______________________________________________________________________________

12

Grammar: Using Numbers

20) This chip has a drawing speed of eight ns/pixel with 32 bits per pixel. ______________________________________________________________________________

13