Questions relating to the use of numbers or numerals in speaking or writing English.
20
votes
5answers
1k views
What method of counting puts Twelfth Night on January 6th?
I know English has (or at least had) some strange usages of eve and night, but I still can’t figure out how December 25th and 12 can be combined to come up with January 6th.
(This stems from my ...
3
votes
0answers
320 views
Interrogative form of a sentence [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number (e.g., the third prime)?
How to ask a question to get a cardinal number answer
Neil ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
How would you phrase questions that require an “interrogative ordinal” which is absent in English? [duplicate]
Duplicate of:
How should I phrase a question that must be answered with an ordinal number (e.g., the third prime)?
How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal number?
...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
Why are numbers usually written twice in contracts?
In contracts numbers are usually written twice: in numerical and literal form.
I understand the vast majority of text in a typical contract can be safely deleted without impacting the core message ...
6
votes
2answers
160 views
A quantity followed by a measurement (eg: 200 35mm circles)
If you have a quantity of items, where the items themselves are described with a measurement, how should you format this so it is unambiguous?
For example, This diagram contains...
two hundred ...
29
votes
9answers
2k views
“1 in 10 are” or “1 in 10 is”?
Take the examples:
"One in ten children are dyslexic."
"One in ten children is dyslexic."
"One in ten children has dyslexia."
"One in ten children have dyslexia."
The "one" is singular so 2 and 3 ...
4
votes
2answers
225 views
“20th century” vs. “20ᵗʰ century” [closed]
When writing twentieth century using an ordinal numeral, should the th part be in superscript?
20th century
20th century
7
votes
4answers
277 views
Transcribing long repeating phone numbers
I always have this problem of telling people my phone number which consists of a series of repeating numbers:
184 555 5555 (DO NOT CALL, this is just as an example)
I can tell people it is:
...
8
votes
3answers
370 views
What is the correct term to describe 'primary', 'secondary', etc
What is the correct term to describe the words in the following sequence: primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, quinary, senary, septenary, octonary, nonary, denary, duodenary, etc.
I am thinking ...
14
votes
6answers
958 views
Is it proper grammar to refer to four digit number in hundreds?
Sometimes you will hear people refer to four digit numbers in terms of hundreds. For example, sometimes people will say fifteen hundred when talking about the number 1500. Is this proper?
What are ...
4
votes
2answers
187 views
Can “number” in “number one” possibly be a Dutchism or a Germanism?
On a Dutch news site, someone claimed that the Dutch use of "nummer" (number) used in the meaning of "you are the number one", is actually an anglicism. It triggered my curiosity and I tried to find ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Why is “a 100% increase” the same amount as “a two-fold increase”?
and is such interpretation the norm?
When something went from 4 units to 8 units, most authoritative sources seem to agree with the use of "a two-fold increase", even though what was actually ...
3
votes
1answer
346 views
Meaning of “x is 35 times less than y" [closed]
I’m not sure of whether this is grammatically correct, although I've encountered the same expression many times before.
Most Google searches show it produces 35 times less carbon than the report ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Using “the” before ordinal numbers
When learning English I was told that ordinal numbers should always be used with "the" before them. But I often see that this is not always so strict, for example I heard the phrase "April first" ...
0
votes
2answers
95 views
Pronunciation of OS X versions [closed]
I don't feel like this belongs on SU, so I put it here.
I know that "OS X" is pronounced "oh-ess ten," but how should the common construction "OS X 10.9" be pronounced?
The primary possibility I can ...
0
votes
2answers
178 views
Usage of hyphens with numeric measurements
What is correct:
two 1-Gb links;
two 1 Gb links; or
two 1Gb links?
I suspect the first, however I do not know the name of this situation, which makes it difficult to for me to find via Google. I ...
6
votes
5answers
302 views
How do I write consecutive numbers?
Today I wrote the sentence:
The supplied definition defines 24 16-bit words per subframe, and ...
I know the recipient will understand the terminology. I'm concerned about writing the phrase ...
2
votes
2answers
142 views
Over or under half price
If something normally cost £300 and someone is selling exactly the same item for £100, is this:
over half price
under half price
Does it depend on context or is either correct?
...
6
votes
4answers
132 views
Name for number format used in “Section 3.2.1”
Does that kind of numbering style have a common name or names? To be fair, it is really more of an "identifier" since it certainly not a scalar (one-dimensional) number. It isn't fair to call it a ...
4
votes
3answers
329 views
Can “another” be used with plural nouns provided periods or measurements don’t count?
Merriam-Webster says about another the following:
being one more in addition to one or more of the same kind
—http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/another
However, I come across such ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Usage of “and” and comma when writing numbers UK style
I am trying to understand the rules for writing numbers in words under the UK rules (with "and"). I understand how to write small numbers (up to a few thousands), but I am not sure when to use "and" ...
4
votes
1answer
753 views
Is an apostrophe with a decade (e.g. 1920’s) generally considered “incorrect”?
I typically don’t use an apostrophe with plurals in any situation, but I always assumed that the use of an apostrophe in constructions like acronyms:
Forty BA’s were given out to students this ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
What do you do when a sentence ends with a decimal?
In a sentence like "The answer is 0.8." the period looks awkward after "0.8". Is there a rule for a situation like this? Sometimes I put a space before the period like this: "The answer is 0.8 ." ...
6
votes
5answers
519 views
“Give me one half of that” Vs. “give me half of that”
I can't remember when and where I had this discussion, but I remember being corrected when I was speaking by a stranger saying that it is never correct to say give me half of this; instead, the ...
3
votes
3answers
193 views
Spelling out non-cardinal small numbers
I understand that it's common to spell small numbers in words. However, all examples of this rule I could find use cardinals (i.e. expressing the size of a set of entities) like in:
We met two cats ...
8
votes
1answer
303 views
Data is/are in a global context
I have been commissioned to script a series of brief videos on the importance of data accuracy and consistency. The videos are directed to employees of a company with offices around the ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
'2-3' or 'two to three' proper use
In the following sentence is the use of '2-3' appropriate for a PowerPoint presentation or should it be 'two to three'?
Research shows that a deaf child tends to produce signs 2-3 months earlier ...
0
votes
2answers
759 views
Framing a question to which you reply with “I am the third born in my family” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number
would it be if i asked what is your relative position terms of birth order in your family
-1
votes
1answer
678 views
“Three-hundred forty-two” or “three-hundred and forty-two”? [closed]
So on this answer here: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12699791/finding-the-word-version-of-a-number/12700097#comment17146082_12700097
We were having the argument whether it is “three hundred and ...
12
votes
3answers
8k views
Should there be a space before a percent sign?
Should there be a space before a percent sign or not?
Should you write 20% or 20 %?
I'm not sure if there is any consensus about this or not. Is one way more common than the other?
1
vote
4answers
2k views
“Lower number” vs. “smaller number”
Is −9 a smaller number than −8?
And is −9 a lower number than −8?
What is the difference between lower and smaller here?
10
votes
6answers
3k views
Why are numbers sometimes spelled out and then numerals specified as well? [closed]
I'm referring to the peculiar habit I sometimes see in formal documents, where a number is given numerically after it's spelled out. It seems quite redundant:
I need five (5) kumquats, stat!
...
-4
votes
1answer
284 views
Saying dates in English [closed]
Are these dates correctly pronounced? Should it be 'dash' or 'hyphen'? Roman one, or '/aɪ/'?
27/I-1980, twenty-seven, slash, Roman one, dash/hypen, nineteen eighty
4/II-1936 Four slash Roman two ...
-5
votes
2answers
528 views
Do we say and write 21 / 31 / 41 item or itemS?
I've been wondering, since these example numbers end with 1, isn't it natural to use the following noun in its singular form?
From what I've been seeing around on the web this does not seem to be the ...
23
votes
3answers
2k views
Is two-thirds plural?
Is 2/3 always, sometimes or never plural?
E.g.
1a) 2/3 of the pizza were eaten.
1b) 2/3 of the pizza was eaten.
2a) 2/3 of the visitors were men.
2b) 2/3 of the visitors was men.
I ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
One and a half minute/minutes [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Pluralization rule for “five-year-old children”, “20 pound note”, “10 mile run”
Should we use plural or singular for a fraction of a ...
16
votes
7answers
4k views
Should we use plural or singular for a fraction of a mile?
I have seen people say both 0.25 mile and 0.25 miles. Should we use plural or singular for a fraction of a mile?
4
votes
3answers
154 views
Is there a verb that fits in the pattern: quarter, third, halve (divide), [???], double, triple, quadruple. . .?
If these were nouns, I would assume "single" fits in between:
1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4 . . .
quarter, third, half, single or one, double, triple, quadruple . . .
Note that each word has a ...
1
vote
4answers
3k views
How to write dollar amounts in a narrative
What's the best way to write dollar amounts in a narrative (such as a novel), particularly if the amounts are large and/or fractional?
I would use this:
"The national debt just hit 14.6 trillion ...
4
votes
3answers
206 views
Numbers and units
I'm looking for a single word to describe the combination of a number and unit. For example, “6 watts” or “2.5 kilometers”. Measurement is the closest I’ve come, but sounds cumbersome. Does anyone ...
5
votes
3answers
12k views
31th or 31st is correct? [closed]
I just realized that I’ve never needed to use 31th or 31st in my four years English study. So which one is correct, and what about other alternatives?
31th or 31st
101th or 101st
1001th or ...
9
votes
5answers
2k views
How do I pronounce “ratio 1:1”?
How do I pronounce "ratio 1:1"?
Should I pronounce it "ratio 1 to 1"?
4
votes
4answers
374 views
The problem is threefold?
The problems are threefold.
The problem is threefold.
Which is the right way to use the -fold suffix?
Note - This question was previously asked by a user whose account has been suspended, ...
0
votes
1answer
375 views
How will I ask this particular question? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number
How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal number?
How to ask a question to get a ...
2
votes
0answers
281 views
How do you say this in English? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number
How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal number (e.g., the third prime) ?
It ...
5
votes
10answers
3k views
How to ask a question to get an ordinal number answer [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
How to phrase an asking sentence that must be answered with an ordinal number?
Framing a question to which the answer is an ordinal number
Given that I want to know ...
2
votes
2answers
177 views
Almost half a dozen [closed]
I understand, dozen may be more comfortable than twelve in speech.
I can understand using over a dozen or almost a dozen These imply rough measurement of the count, maybe ten, maybe eleven, or maybe ...
3
votes
2answers
274 views
Verb agreement with nouns modified by numbers [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it “5-6 weeks are a lot of time” or “5-6 weeks is a lot of time”?
I am writing about a baseball player who has 33 at-bats in his career.
...
0
votes
2answers
3k views
How to spell out dollars and cents [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to say the total amount?
Which is the correct way to spell out dollars and cents?
Forty-Two Thousand Dollars and 00/100 ($42,000.00)
or
Forty-Two Thousand ...
2
votes
2answers
989 views
“A hundred percent” vs. “hundred percent”
Which sentence is grammatically correct:
I'm a hundred percent sure
I'm hundred percent sure
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
