Jun 24, 2019
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Numbers
- Numbers zero through nine are spelled out.
- When a number begins a sentence, it’s always spelled out.
- If a number beginning a sentence is followed by another number of the same category, spell out only the first number, or reword.
- Ex: “One hundred eighty of the 214 candidates had law degrees; the remaining 34 were doctoral candidates.”
- Simple fractions are spelled out. For the sake of readability and to lend an appearance of consistency, they are hyphenated in noun, adjective, and adverb forms.
- Ex: “She has read three-fourths of the book.”
- Quantities consisting of whole numbers and simple fractions may be spelled out if short but are often better expressed in numerals.
- Ex: 1¾
- Except at the beginning of a sentence, percentages are usually expressed in numerals. In nontechnical contexts, the word percent is generally used; in scientific and statistical copy, the symbol % is more common.
- Spell out both, or use a number and the percent (%) symbol.
- No superscript for rd/th with numbers (3rd — not 3rd)
- One-and-a-half-year-old son
- Three and a half years
- 50/50 — not 50%/50%
- Use an apostrophe when referring to a decade
- Ex. The ‘90s
Dates
The following styles should be used when writing dates:
- Day of the week, month day, year: Tuesday, May 16, 2017
- Month day, year: May 16, 2017
- Month, year: May, 2017