English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
Dealing with Numbers
- Numbers under 10 are preferably written in words except if the style guide says otherwise, and numbers above 10 are usually spelt out.
He has 2 companies and 5 cars (nonstandard).
He has two companies and five cars (standard). - Even though numbers from 10 above are preferably written as number, it should be spelt out when used at the beginning of a sentence:
60 students were invited but only 40 showed up (nonstandard).
Sixty students were invited but only 40 showed up (standard). - When numbers are in a list, it is important to keep the numbers persistent even if some are under 10.
She has four siblings aged five, eight, 12 and 15 (nonstandard).
She has four siblings aged 5, 8, 12 and 15 (standard).
To be continued.
GAB
