Q. Hi, CMOS people, I can’t quite seem to figure out whether I should use spelled-out numbers or numerals with units of time—for example, seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years. I am not sure whether it should be “2 to 4 weeks” or “two to four weeks”; “30 years” or “thirty years”; etc. I think for numbers over 99, numerals are used, for example “230 seconds.” I understand that numerals should be used with units of measure in general, like kg, cm, °C, and °F, etc. Thank you for your help.
Q. Hi. Is it acceptable to begin a sentence with a mathematical variable? I had been going by the thinking that since one spells out a number when beginning a sentence, one would not begin a sentence with a variable or other mathematical expression. However, I have seen numerous such occurrences in journal articles, leading me to think that copy editors would have made corrections if this were considered a stylistic error. I have not been able to find any advice about this, and so I was wondering about your stance on it. Thank you.
Q. A colleague writes: “Basement space is about 5,700 square feet, but about 12,000 square feet is available on the eighth floor.” I suspect the point is arguable, but couldn’t that be “12,000 square feet are available on the eighth floor”?
Q. If I’m expressing a range of percentages in a statistics-heavy paragraph of academic social sciences prose, does the percent sign commute? For example, does “50 to 55% of respondents” make sense, or should I use a percent sign after each numeral, making it “50% to 55%” instead? What about other units of measurement? Is “from 100 to 110km” better or worse than “from 100km to 110km”?
Q. I see the word “that” in constructions where clarity would not be diminished without it. An example in the Q&A was “He thinks that, if he asks for directions, his membership in the brotherhood of men will be revoked.” I consider “He thinks if he . . .” correct.
Q. In a large document, I am spelling out numbers under 100. For consistency, if I have a sentence with a list that includes 99 and 101, I would write them both as numerals. Does this rule apply per sentence, per paragraph, per page, per report? This feels like such a silly question, but I honestly am struggling with it.
Q. In expressing the statistical change in GDP figures over the course of multiple decades, would it be most correct to write “2000% increase,” “2,000% increase,” or “2,000 percent increase”? Our copyeditor favors the second option, but the use of the comma in that context just doesn’t sit right with me. Please advise.
Q. I have been under the impression that extensions on a date (st, nd , rd, etc.) are proper when used simply with a month (January 15th) but are not used in connection with a year (January 15, 2009). Please advise if this is correct or provide instruction to the contrary.
Q. This has to do with page ranges for a bibliography, as described in CMOS. It is clear that 125–29 is correct and 125–129 is not. However, it is not clear what to do with a range like 145–155. Should it be 145–55 or 145–155? The trouble comes from the part of the explanation that reads “use two or more digits as needed” and the lack of examples to address this particular situation. I would think 145–55 is sufficient, but then, I don’t trust my own intuition because 125–9 seems sufficient to me, too. And that is wrong. Please help!
Q. I’m writing dialogue with blood pressure values. I’m OK with my doc saying, “Your last reading was one twenty-nine.” But what do I do with a reading of 101? “One zero one” sounds like Mr. Spock. “One oh one” is the way people speak, but “oh” may be confused with the exclamation. “One hundred and one” sounds like a temperature, not a blood pressure. Plus, this form would require me to use “one hundred and twenty-nine,” etc., for consistency. “One hundred one” is probably correct, but sounds awkward, and might be confused with repetition: “That’s one hundred—one.” Should I just give up and use numerals?