Questions tagged [numbers]
Questions relating to the use of numbers or numerals in English.
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0answers
21 views
Are “two” and “duo” synonyms?
I recently asked a question (Why are there are so many words for "zero"?)
where I stated that zero is the only number with synonyms.
In response, people commented words that they meant ...
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0answers
73 views
Why are there are so many words for “zero”?
Null, nil and naught are all synonyms of zero, and to my knowledge, zero is the only number that has this many cognitive synonyms, if not more. Why is this?
Does it have to do with English being ...
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1answer
65 views
How to write numbers concerning physical quantities?
Is there a rule specifying how one should separate thousands in numbers? Should I put a comma in this phrase, “500–1500 ohms”, so it would become “500–1,500 ohms”? If so why?
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1answer
36 views
Apostrophe Use In Abbreviated Decade Which Is Also A Possessive
I always put apostrophes before abbreviated decades. Ex: The '60s.
However, what if you want to abbreviate a decade that is also possessive of the word that comes after it? Ex: Classic dance genres ...
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1answer
24 views
Measurements - how they should be written in a list
Which is correct?
a. Images were obtained at a distance of 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 mm from the bottom of the plate.
b. Images were obtained at a distance of 4 mm, 8 mm, 12 mm, 16 mm and 20 mm from the ...
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1answer
43 views
Is this an acceptable way of writing the count of items in a sentence?
My father served in the logistics branch of the Indian Air Force and he had a very particular style of representing the number of items of a certain object. For example, he would use this sentence:
...
2
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1answer
32 views
Beginning list items with numerals
Most well-known style guides dictate that numbers should always be spelled out at the beginning of a sentence (Forty-seven percent of people...), even to the point of recommending rewriting to avoid ...
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1answer
176 views
How do ordinal suffixes work with mathematical constants and other non-Arabic numbers?
This question was inspired by a tweet from the FakeUnicode Twitter account, a semi-novelty account sharing various examples in the wild of bugs, glitches and other unintended results from improperly ...
2
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1answer
37 views
“The number of steps is infinite” or “The number of steps is infinity”? [closed]
In a mathematical paper about random-walks. Which is more correct: "The number of steps in the random-walk is infinite" or "The number of steps in the random-walk is infinity"?
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3answers
131 views
How do you pronounce “103rd”?
The number 103 can be pronounced as “One hundred and three” or “One o three”.
Can “103rd” be pronounced as “One hundred and third” or “One o third?” (Especially in referring to a name of a street, ...
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2answers
144 views
What would be the correct way of writing 10⁻³⁶ second into words?
I tried Google, and I couldn't find the answer, so I have to have ask this question here. Is this correct?
one millionth of a billionth of a trillionth of a second.
I can write one 'undecillionth' ...
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7answers
4k views
Can I say eight-gon, nine-gon and ten-gon instead of octa-, nona-, and deca-gon?
As a non-native English speaker I struggle with Greek prefixes. Am I allowed to use just normal English numbers in place of them? Is it natural? Or do I have to learn how those Greek prefixes work at ...
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3answers
149 views
How would you say “0.4 - 1g?”
Assuming I don't want to say "zero point four grams to one gram," would it be:
"zero point four to one gram"
or
"zero point four to one grams"
or neither?
I'm leaning towards the second one ...
2
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1answer
22 views
Are Only + Number Adjectives?
In the sentence "Only eight apples grew on the tree." Are both "only" and "eight" adjectives?
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3answers
86 views
Term for a “unit-ed” (versus “unitless”) quantity
What is a term for the class of measured quantities that have a unit, as distinct from those that are unitless?
This term describes any quantity with a unit:
5.3 seconds
$0.00
−17.28 metres
4½ ...
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5answers
343 views
How infrequent is “a non-zero chance”?
I misinterpreted the expression “a non-zero chance” as an emphatic way to stress that there was no possibility or likelihood of something happening.
there is a non-zero chance that they will pay ...
5
votes
1answer
215 views
Use of degree symbol for Latinate ordinal number shorthand
I remember often having professors in college use degree symbols to write shorthand versions of Latinate ordinal numbers.
For example:
1° Primary
2° Secondary
3° Tertiary
4° Quaternary
...
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2answers
72 views
numbering from up to down
I want to translate a sentence from Persian to English, the sentence I want to say is "the children should tell numbers from up to down and conversely" but I am not sure does it correct?
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3answers
58 views
Should you use a comma after a number that falls at the end of a clause, even if the number has commas in it (ex: 1,000,000)?
For example, in the sentence
The cost is anticipated to be $1,000,000, inclusive of pre-construction costs.
is it appropriate to use a comma after $1,000,000 or should a semicolon be used?
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1answer
509 views
How to read Figure xx.x or Section xx.x
I wonder that whether there is a special reading way pertaining to American or British.
For example,
Figure 12.3 shows a paused video touched on in Section 2.10 with the
width, height, and ...
43
votes
11answers
10k views
When did “a buck” start being used to mean a unit of 100? (E.g. “a buck fifty” for 150 lbs.)
Before you answer, please note: I'm only interested in when this usage was established in common (American) parlance. I know what the term means and I don't need it defined, nor do I require an ...
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2answers
215 views
Has “N times less” become commonplace? [duplicate]
I've heard more and more people saying "A is N times less than B" in many contexts. I even saw in a news journal (forgot whether it was Time or Newsweek), "The object was 3 times closer than the ...
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1answer
248 views
Why does “No” mean “Number?” [duplicate]
I frequently see the abbreviation "No" to mean "Number" (or "Nos" to mean "Numbers") instead of the much more common meaning of the word (a negative statement or denial). Sources cited here say it's ...
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0answers
154 views
Why does “zero of one qualifications” sound better than “zero of one qualification” even though you only have one qualification? [closed]
Of the two phrases:
zero of one qualification
zero of one qualifications
Because one is singular, it should be qualification without the plural suffix ‑s. But for reasons I cannot explain, to me ...
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2answers
761 views
“Numbers” or “number?” Which sentence is correct?
Which sentence is correct? Why?
In 2000, the number of Vietnamese students studied in Russia and France was around 3 million and 3.5 million respectively.
In 2000, the numbers of Vietnamese students ...
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2answers
39 views
Should the word before a numeral be capitalized
If you type out week 1 or top 25 matchup, would the word before the numeral be capitalised?
2
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1answer
562 views
How to speak the line number? [closed]
What is the most common way to identify a particular line of code in a talk or lecture?
On the seventeenth line of this code"
On the line seventeen of this code"
On the line number seventeen of this ...
1
vote
0answers
29 views
Numeration in policies [closed]
Is numeration in policies obligatory or optional?
I create different policies as per GDPR for internal use and have an idea to skip the numeration because of redundancy, can I do this?
I know, it ...
2
votes
2answers
103 views
Is there a standard way to read “30+”?
I have just come across the following sentence:
Our team has cataloged 30+ [design patterns] across various areas of the framework so far.
I have often seen the pattern "number + plus sign" to ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Is it essential to use comma in a big number?
Is it necessary to use comma in a big number? For example, if anyone writes one million four hundred thousand and two as 1400002 instead of 1,400,002 on answer sheet of listening section of IELTS test,...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
In written English, do you write fractional inequality with a percent-plus or a plus-percent? [closed]
In written English, which of the following is the correct way to convey I have a greater than or equal to ninety percent success rate according to all measures?
I have 90%+ success rate across ...
3
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1answer
104 views
Why do distributive adjectives mostly take a singular noun while quantitative adjectives mostly take a plural noun?
I am sure that there are some exceptions to this, but I have noticed that distributive adjectives like “each”, “every”, “either”, “neither”, etc., mostly take a singular noun, while quantitative ...
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2answers
113 views
What part of speech is 'point' in the phrase 'nought point five'?
What grammatical evidence is there for allocating the word point to a particular part of speech in phrases like nought point five or nine point nine nine, where these phrases would represent the ...
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0answers
45 views
What is the standard way to number rows in a table?
First of all, it is not quite a language specific question but I do not know a better place to ask.
Suppose we have a table, say something like this.
What if I want to add a column which contains ...
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1answer
849 views
From the age or ages of fifteen to twenty-one?
Are both examples correct or is there only one way to write it?
The program is for people from the age of fifteen to twenty-one.
OR
The program is for people from the ages of fifteen to twenty-...
0
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1answer
96 views
How can I say “¹⁄ₓ” in words?
It is possible to state a fraction such as ¾ in words as follows:
three fourths.
Can someone please let me know how to say ¹⁄ₓ in words?
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2answers
72 views
Word for the action or result of expressing a telephone number as letters/words
You can use the letters on a standard telephone keypad to encode/decode a number to/from letters, eg
439225563 -> HEY CALL ME
Is there a name from either the result "HEY CALL ME" or the action of ...
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vote
1answer
42 views
Is there a comma in “one easy place”? [duplicate]
Which of the following is correct? If both are acceptable which is preferred?
Our product lets you manage all of your stuff in one easy place.
Our product lets you manage all of your stuff in ...
0
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1answer
92 views
How do I write a variable as an ordinal number?
I'm charged with translating a technical document into English, and ran into a bit of an odd problem: the document refers to undefined numbers of elements, and uses letters to represent those numbers, ...
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2answers
2k views
Thousand/thousands?
If I am talking about money.
I know that saying Thirty thousand dollars is correct.
For eg., 'I gave you Thirty thousand dollars.'
But if I am not adding 'dollars' in the end, then would I say Thirty ...
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0answers
117 views
Is it “quarter past six” or “*a* quarter past six”?
Question is in the title. More generally, regardless of whether you would say "past/to" or "after/till", would the "quarter" have the indefinite article "a" or not?
Are there differences between ...
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2answers
97 views
How to read in British English 172147000122.25? [closed]
Is my spelling right - a hundred seventy two billion one hundred forty seven million a hundred and twenty two point a quarter? Thank you.
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1answer
66 views
How to say “year 1000”? [closed]
Is it right to say like "year one thousand anno Domini"? I have found it on the internet.
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2answers
52 views
What is the difference between “dot” and “point” in decimals reading? [closed]
Can I use these words for decimals like 0.1 reading?
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2answers
51 views
Years written in a sequence [closed]
Writing a sequence of years, 1970, 71, 72, 87, 88, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98
Which is best: 1970 - 72, 87 - 88, 92 - 98
or: 1970 - 72, 87, 88, 92 - 98
It is the 87, 88 that cause confusion. Should ...
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0answers
31 views
Plural v Singular [duplicate]
I am a little confused about using plural or singular forms when a noun is a number. Maybe an example will best explain what I mean:
The first five people entered.
The next group is waiting.
The next ...
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2answers
2k views
A thousand / one hundred AND one? [closed]
Are the numbers in the title written correctly? I always thought it was one thousand and not a thousand or one hundred one instead of one hundred and one. So which is correct?
One thousand or A ...
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1answer
57 views
Use of the '%' symbol [duplicate]
In writing a sentence, using the '%' symbol, which of the following is correct:
"....record rates that range between 8 and 12%."
or
"....record rates that range between 8% and 12%."
Thanks,
Jerry
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0answers
71 views
How to write in letters numbers that have symbols in between?
I am translating a document that has the identification numbers 2017-976 written in letters this way: two thousand seventeen-nine hundred seventy-six. I was doubting about placing the dash like that ...
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1answer
49 views
Is this alternative way of pronuncing numbers correct? [closed]
Given the number 203 000 would it be incorrect to say the number as two hundred thousand and three thousand specifically when dealing with money?
