Writers Writing Numbers

Written by GCWA Member Beverley Streater

At some stage as a writer, you will need to write numbers.
Whether you are writing a piece of fiction, a travel itinerary, a shopping list or a business plan, it is likely you will need to consider how to express quantities, distance, time, weight, percentages, dates, etc.
 
Who are you writing for?
You need to think about your audience. Of course, this applies to all your writing.
Are you a technical writer, producing written copy for an organisation, a field of professionals, an article?
Will your readers be children and/or people who read to them? Or are you writing only for grownups?
What is your reader’s likely reading age? This may be different from their chronological age.
Are your readers people who have a first language other than English?
Are you writing about a period when measures were different from today? (think pounds, shillings, pence)
 
What will you use as your rule book?
Publishing professionals draw from a range of style guides. Style guides are important for ensuring consistency in punctuation, setting out lists, referencing rules, and writing numbers.
For example, in Australia we have the Australian Government Style Manual or AGSM. Other style guides include the Chicago Manual of Style, the (Plain English Foundation’s) Australian Style Guide, the APA Publication Manual.
As an online only publication, the AGSM can be regularly updated to reflect public trends. For instance, it guides writers on cultural sensitivity and ways to ensure information accessibility people who use screen readers. However, as it is designed for people writing content for government, it can be unhelpful for fiction writers.

 

Develop your style sheet
In the end, it is up to you (and your editor/publishing house) to decide what rule book works. Once you have decided on your preferred style, you can record information specific to your writing in a style sheet. A style sheet is a record of special words you might use in your writing; how to spell proper nouns; how you will write numbers; how you will handle foreign words and so on. This article offers you a free template.
Your style sheet will help you keep track of your writing choices – this will support consistency in your writing. Also, it be useful to share with your beta readers, editors and publishers.
 
Writing numbers—some common conventions
An internet search for advice on writing numbers will throw up a plethora of information.
Here are some basic ideas.
 
Using text vs Arabic numerals and at what point you will shift from words to numerals:
One, two, three …ten, 11, 12, 13 ….
OR one, two, three, …one hundred, 101, 102, 103.
 
Punctuating numbers: use hyphens for twenty-one to ninety-nine. If writing a number as a plural, avoid using apostrophes, e.g. ones, twos, fours, sixes, the nineties.

(Ref 3)
 
Match digits and symbols: Either 50% of the soldiers were French OR fifty per cent of the soldiers were French. (Ref 1)
 
Length: Write out numbers that are one or two words long: I have two hundred budgies; but use numerals for words of more than three words: My friend has one hundred and seventy 170 pairs of shoes.
BUT avoid mixing words and numbers. If it looks inconsistent, treat number-words in the same way in a sentence. (Ref 3)
I ate 15 cherries on Tuesday but only five today ✗ (mixing styles)
I ate fifteen cherries on Tuesday but only five today ✓ (same style)
OR I ate 15 cherries on Tuesday but only 5 today ✓ (same style)
 
Symbols: Use numerals where accompanied by a symbol, such as for money ($30), measures (16 kms), percentages (59%), and time (5 o’clock, 5.00 pm or 1700 hours). (Ref 1 and 2)
There are international differences in expressing larger numbers. AUS 1,506 whereas EUR 1.506. You can get a round this by using as space: 1 506.
Percentages can be written in various ways: 15%, 15 per cent, fifteen per cent.
Look out for currency: A$10, NZ$20, £500, €200, ¥15 000.
 
Dates: This can be a tricky area. In Australia we may write May 10, 2018, 10th May 2018, 10 May 2018, 10/05/2018.
Examples from other countries: US 05/10/2018, Ger 2018/05/10, ISO 2018 05 10.
 
Avoid starting a sentence with a number. Let’s say you want to describe 50 soldiers marching down the street. Use either ‘Fifty soldiers marched down the street’ or rework the sentence: ‘They counted 50 soldiers marching down the street.’ (Ref 1)
Above all, ensure you apply your chosen style consistently within your document.
 
References
1. Australian Government Style Manual or AGSM
2. Peters, Pam. Cambridge Australian English style guide. Cambridge University Press (CUP), 1995. 
3. Hogue, Ann. The Essentials of English: A Writer's Handbook. Longman, 2003.

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Beverley Streater styles herself as a reader, writer and critical friend.

She relaxes by reading fiction, stitching, and caring for other people’s pets.

She currently writes reports for an Australian peak disability body and translates complex text into a format call Easy Read ensuring important information is available to people with low literacy.

As an associate member of the Institute of Professional Editors, she critiques, edits and provides helpful feedback to authors.