Numerals

age—Use numerical figures; do not spell out. (When he was 16 years old, the student dreamed of being a writer. He has two children ages 3 and 12.)

dates—Do not use ordinal numbers (numbers ending in st, nd, rd, or th) with dates. (The deadline to register is Aug. 13. NOT The deadline to register is Aug. 13th.)

decades—Preference is to use the full four-digit number (2000s) in most references. Show plural by adding the letter “s” -- do not use “apostrophe s” unless used in a possessive sense. It is acceptable to use the abbreviated two-digit form (the ’60s) when the century is clear. Include the apostrophe before the first digit. However, use the full four digits when using mid (the mid-1960s). When indicating a span of time between two decades (or centuries) use four digits for both defining years (2019-2020). Using just the last two digits of the second defining date if both dates are within the same decade is correct (2020-21).

dimensions—Use figures and spell out inches, millimeters, and other measurements in text. (He was 5 feet, 9 inches tall. The building is 95,000 square feet). Abbreviations are acceptable when space is limited, such as in a brochure, flyer, or program.

numerals—Numbers from one to nine, including ordinals (from first to ninth) should be spelled out; the rest should be figures. Spell out all numerals that begin a sentence, except years. Use figures for course numbers, grade point averages, credit hours, scores, percentages, decimals, book sections, page numbers, sizes, ages, dimensions, and times.

percent—Always spell out percent in text and use figures. (5 percent) Percent takes a singular verb if used alone (A 10 percent return is good.) or if a singular word is the object of of (Exactly 78 percent of the product is needed.). It takes a plural verb if a plural word is the object of of. (Almost 37 percent of baseball fans own a team cap.) The percent sign % is acceptable as part of graphics.

time of day—Use figures, except for noon and midnight. Do not use :00 to indicate the top of the hour. (We will meet at 1 p.m. (not 1:00 p.m.) to discuss the program.) Include a.m. or p.m. to indicate morning or afternoon times. However, avoid redundancies such as: We will meet at 10 a.m. this morning. Instead say: We will meet at 10 a.m. today. In running text, do not use a dash to indicate a duration of time (Not: The class went from 2:15-2:45 p.m.; Rather: The class went from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m.)  Dashes are acceptable in other forms to show duration.