• About
  • Writing Services
  • Writing Fiction

AS it is

~ Putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard

AS it is

Tag Archives: percentages

Can I Get Your Number?

09 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Ann S. in The Technical Side

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

867-5309, addresses, business writing, dates, digits, numbers, numerals, percentages, phone number, punctuation, technical writing, writings

867-5309

Could you imagine if we had to write out every phone number each time? You’d need to use both sides of the cocktail napkin! I get writer’s cramp just thinking about it:

Eight-six-seven-five-three-oh-nine.

With the addition of using area codes because we have so many more phone numbers, we’d spend hours scrolling through our phone’s contact lists. Most of us know we use figures for phone numbers.

When you think about using numbers in other business writing, though, are you as confident? Sometimes if you choose to spell check a document, the program may catch an error and ask if you want it changed, but always remember spell check isn’t right all the time so it’s best to know this yourself.

Try a couple of these and determine what needs correcting:

  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 100s of colleges
  5. Only fifty percent of high school students go on to college.

There’s a couple simple rules I follow when writing numbers in business communications.

A. When using one through nine, write out the number.
B. When using 10 and higher, use the figures. (The exception is that if the written number is not long, you can use it in the sentence.)
C. If the number comes at the beginning of a sentence, either spell it out or rewrite the sentence. (Most readers find it easier to read a couple digits than a three-word number.)

In general, we use figures for the following:

Addresses: 23 Main Street; 5 Victory Boulevard

Dates: July 4, 1976;  4 B.C.

Decimals/fractions: 63.34;  9½

Exact Amounts of money: $1.5 billion;  $2.25; 35 cents

Percentages: 45 percent or 45%

Scores & statistics: an 8-5 Brewer victory;  an average of 37

Time of Day: 7:30AM or 7:30 a.m.

And if you’re unsure when to use number or amount, keep this is mind: Use amount for quanitities you cannot count; use number for quantities you can count. A small number of volunteers cleared a large amount of brush.

Looking back at the five examples above, would you answer them differently now?

  1. Three hundred fifty-one people attended the performance.
  2. There were 135 pieces in the puzzle.
  3. Class started at 8:30 A.M. in Room 20.
  4. In the sixties, there were sit-ins at hundreds of colleges.
  5. Only 50 percent of high school students go on to college.

numbers digits

Advertisements

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Google
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • Make a Difference
  • The Briefcase vs. Backpack Debate
  • Are You Managing Complex Change?
  • International Women’s Day
  • The Bowl Game Names I Want to See

Photography

  • Recharging
  • Today China Doll
  • In the Conservatory
  • Morning walk along Hanalei Bay
  • Mammoth Springs
  • Roots
  • Sometimes You Have to Look Up
  • Weekly Photo Challenge: Near and Far
  • Writing Services
  • Writing Fiction

Categories

  • Musings
  • Photography
  • The Technical Side
  • Uncategorized
  • Writings

Archives

  • March 2018
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • September 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Sites I like

  • Just Another Bad
  • Writing Services
  • Writing Fiction

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • WordPress.com
Advertisements

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: