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Subject:RE: Mixing numbers and words in the same sentence From:"Ackerson, Allan" <aackerson -at- logicon -dot- com> To:John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com>, TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 1 Dec 1999 05:16:08 -0800
I quote from the Government Printing Office Style Manual (and who should
know better than our gubmint?):
12.4 A figure is used for a single number of 10 or more with the exception
of the first word of a sentence.
12.5 When 2 or more numbers appear in a sentenence and 1 of them is 10 or
more, figures are used for each number.
12.6 A unit of measurement, time, or money is always expressed in figures
and does not affect the use of figures for other numerical expressions
within a sentence.
-----Original Message-----
From: John Posada [mailto:jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 1999 11:49 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Mixing numbers and words in the same sentence
Hi, guys...I'm working on a help system and I've
written one of the lines of instruction as follows:
"Note: You can change the default display from 4
images to 9 or 16 images by selecting "Image Display
Options" from the menu bar."
One of the developers is wearing his tech writer hat
and is mumbling that the numbers 4 and 9 should be
written as words:
"Note: You can change the default display from four
images to nine or 16 images by selecting "Image
Display Options" from the menu bar."
I want to tell him to go back to his little cubicle
and leave me alone, but before I do, I want your
opinion.
BTW...I'm aware of the "rule" that words under 10
should be written out, but I cannot justify in my
mind, mixing convention in the same sentence and my
CMS in my other office.
=====
John Posada, Merck Research Laboratories
Sr Technical Writer, WinHelp and html
(work) john_posada -at- merck -dot- com - 732-594-0873
(pers) jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com - 732-291-7811
"The art of creating software that is usable by individuals is a
communication skill. It is not a programming skill."
--Bill Atkinson, creator of MacPaint and HyperCard
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