As an editor and English teacher, I frequently hear the following questions:
1. How do I know whether to write a number as a numeral or a word?
Seems like a simple question, but the answer is complicated. Different books give different rules. Here’s a summary:
All style guides say to write out a number that begins a sentence. If you’re using a large number, rewrite the sentence so the number isn’t at the beginning. Also, most books list the following as instances where numerals are always used:
Street addresses: 121 Southern Drive
Dates: March 12, 2012
Decimals: The difference in the projections is 1.21 points.
Time: 8 a.m., 8 o’clock, 8:10 p.m.
Specific amounts of money: $10.58.
Beyond that, no one agrees when to write the numeral or the word.
The Associated Press and other journalistic stylebooks say to write out one through nine and use a numeral for 10 and higher.
The Chicago Manual of Style says to write out round numbers and numbers up to a hundred. It also says to ignore its own rule if two numbers are being used in the same context/sentence but would take different forms if you followed the rule. So it would be correct Chicago style to say the following:
On the first day, ninety-nine members voted, with one hundred and one voting the second day.
OR
On the first day, 99 members voted, with 101 voting the second day.
But only the latter would be correct for AP.
Some grammar books say to write out fifty and below, some say a hundred and below. Some say to spell out numbers that can be written in one or two words: forty-two versus 142, which would be four words if written out.
You can justify using any of these rules if you are consistent within your document. (I used numbers inconsistently in this post to demonstrate the various guidelines.) Of course, for workplace documents, follow your company’s preferred style.
2. When do I use who versus whom, and does anyone really know the difference?
For decades, grammarians have predicted the demise of the word whom. But the word is still alive, so let’s use it correctly.
In spoken English, most people say who instead of whom because whom sounds stuffy. That’s fine for a casual conversation or e-mail, but not formal writing.
The basic difference is that who is a subject and whom is an object. What that really means is that who has a verb describing its action and whom doesn’t, usually following a preposition.
Who is in charge of this project? (Who takes the verb is.)
To whom do you intend to write this letter? (In this case, you is the subject with do intend as the verb. Whom has nothing to do with the verb, instead following a preposition.)
Since these words frequently involve questions, try straightening up the sentence to see what you get:
You intend to write this letter to whom? (In this version, you can clearly see that whom is far from being attached to any verb.)
But just when usage looks easy, a tricky sentence comes along:
I will give the paperwork to whoever is elected as the new treasurer.
Most people automatically use whom after to because the expression “to whom it may concern” is burned into their brains. But in this case, whoever is the subject for the verb is elected.
Here’s another tricky one:
Whom is this project being assigned to?
This sounds wrong because we know that who takes verbs like is. (If you’re bent out of shape by the sentence-ending preposition, see my earlier post “Lies Your English Teacher Told You” or recast the sentence as shown below.) But since the sentence is a question, inverting it reveals the true role of all the words:
This project is being assigned to whom?
So be careful to whom you write because you never know who is keeping track of your errors!
NOTE: I will devote the next post to reader questions, so please submit yours in the Comments section, and I’ll address them along with a few questions posed on earlier posts.
Next time: Reader questions
Thank you. You have my number.
Sent from my MOTOROLA ATRIX™ 2 on AT&T
Thank you so much. I really love your blog and I always refer to it when in doubt!
Reblogged this on Second Phase and commented:
Really helpful!
Your mention of “who vs. whom” reminded me of something I find very odd but I have heard of as being proper: subjective pronouns after “to be,” “as,” and “than.” I would think you would use the objective forms of the pronouns, although they are the same as the subjective forms with “you” and “it”.
With “as” and “than,” at least you can put a verb after it; for example, as a Bears fan, I would say, “Running back Matt Forte is three inches taller than I am.” I will give you an example, though, of one time earlier this year when I put a subjective pronoun after “than” without a verb at the end. I was at work (a Walmart in southern metro SLC) and a customer asked me where a product was. I’m a cart pusher and I was on my way back outside when she stopped me. I told her that, with my particular position in the store, I wasn’t sure, “but I see Marge, one of our CSM’s; let’s go see if she knows better than I.” “Do” simply refused to come out.
With “to be,” though, you don’t have that luxury. People often use “who” when they should say “whom,” but, according to this, Terence Stamp – himself of the nationality the language is named for – was gramatically correct when in “The Adjustment Bureau,” he said to Matt Damon, “You can’t doubt we are who we say we are.” Or the same thing could be said of Dennis Green in his famous 2006 rant when he said, “The Bears are who we thought they were!.”
“Whom is this project being assigned to” – when I was a youngster, we used to quote, with much joy, “never end a sentence, a preposition with”. Following this rule, the sentence becomes “To whom is this project being assigned” – no problem (except that it does sound pompous in today’s usage!).
My favourite hate is the use of “I” instead of “me” – “he gave it to Joan and I” – we would never say “he gave it to I” but even our (Australian) ABC announcers – are guilty of this. What is the younger generation coming to!
Good tips! I’ve noticed a lot of people have trouble with the number thing.