If you've been following the Word-wise numbers discussion that began last month, you already know that there are a few general guidelines that address when to use spelled-out words to represent numbers as opposed to using Arabic numerals, or vice versa. You also know that the context of the sentence matters; that is, what type of numbers are given and how important they are may influence the choice. Today we get to a third consideration, whether the number has any connection to a proper noun or name. There are several shades of distinction among names, so we'll address each with a separate, simple rule.

Rule 1: Roman (not Arabic or verbal) numerals are used to represent leaders with the same name as a predecessor.

The people whose names follow this rule are usually royalty, dictators, or popes. Therefore, as they tend to be well-known and their names are often written (and read) over and over again, the rule is fairly familiar and not often misinterpreted. Some examples... Click here to read the rest of this post at the Sunny Words Blog.

The Sunny Words Blog is authored by VAF member AnnaLisa of Sunny Words Writing Services.


(Would you like to see YOUR blog posts on Virtual Assistant Forums? Click here to submit your RSS feed now.)