business english 2e by mary chapter 14

14
Numbers

MARY ELLEN GUFFEY AND CAROLYN M. SEEFER

BUSINESS
ENGLISH
12e

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L E A R N I N G

O U T C O M E S

Level 1

▶. Correctly choose between figure and word forms
to express general numbers, numbers beginning
sentences, and numbers that require hyphens and
commas.

▶. Express money, dates, clock time, addresses,
telephone numbers, and company and product
names appropriately.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

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2


General Rules for Expressing Numbers

 Writing Numbers in Word or Figure Form
 Numbers That Begin Sentences
 Placing Commas in Numbers


Hyphenating Numbers

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© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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3


 Writing Numbers in Word or Figure Form



Generally write the numbers one through ten as words. Write
numbers above ten as figures.



Note: Many exceptions to this rule exist.

The van held nine passengers in three seats.
Professor Andrews has 47 students in two classes.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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4


 Numbers That Begin Sentences



Write numbers that begin sentences as words.



If a number involves more than two words, rewrite the sentence so
that the number no longer falls at the beginning and can be written
as a figure.

Thirty-eight states have ratified the amendment.
A total of 116 delegates attended the opening sessions. (NOT: One
hundred sixteen delegates…)

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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5


 Placing Commas in Numbers



When expressing numbers in figure form, separate groups of three
digits with commas to improve clarity.



This rule does not apply when writing numbers such as years,
house numbers, telephone numbers, zip codes, account numbers,
and page numbers.

Joe Bowman’s salary in 2016 was $78,000.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Hyphenating Numbers



Hyphenate compound numbers from 21 through 99 when they
are written in word form.

Fifty-seven people applied for the customer service position with
our firm.
Thirty-three stocks increased
for every one that decreased
in today’s trading.

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© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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7


Basic Guidelines for Expressing Numbers

 Money
 Dates
 Clock Time


Addresses



Telephone Numbers



Company and Product Names

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© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Money



Express sums of money $1 or greater as figures.



If a sum is a whole dollar amount, omit the decimal and zeros,
even if the amount appears with fractional dollar amounts.



Always include commas in monetary figures $1,000 or greater.



Use the dollar sign ($) instead of the word dollars, and do not
add a space between the currency symbol and the figure.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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9


 Money Examples

Candace White made petty cash purchases of $10, $19.95,
and $40.
Do you want to pitch in $20 for Dean Hanson’s retirement
gift?
His new position pays $56,000 annually.

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© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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10

 Money



Write sums less than $1 as figures followed by the word cents.



If they are part of related sums greater than $1, use a dollar sign and
a decimal instead of the word cents and do not space between the
dollar sign and the decimal point.

Our letterhead stationery costs 4 cents a sheet.
The separate amounts left in the tip jar were $1.19, $.56, $1, and
$.92.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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11


 Money



When amounts of money from different countries are used in

the same sentence, table, or list, place the appropriate currency
abbreviation or symbol before the numerical amount.

The US$8,000 item will cost €7,040 in most countries in
Europe. (U.S. dollars and European Union euros)

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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12


 Dates



In dates, write numbers that appear after the name of a month
as cardinal figures (1, 2, 3, etc.).



Write numbers that stand alone or appear before the name of
a month as ordinal figures (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.).

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated
on May 5.
On the 1

st

of January and

again on the 15

th

,we will

send reminders.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Clock Time



Use figures when clock time is expressed with a.m., p.m., noon, or
midnight.



Omit the colon and zeros with even clock hours (those without

minutes), even if they appear with times that contain hours and
minutes.



Even clock hours can be used with the word o’clock. When using
this format, use either figures or words.



Use figures with international time (24-hour clock).

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Clock Time Examples
Appointments begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.
I believe he called you at three (or 3 ) o’clock.
On Friday the Louvre in Paris is open from 09:00 until 21:45.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Addresses



Except for the number One, express house numbers in figure
form.



Also write apartment numbers, suite numbers, box numbers,
and route numbers in figure form.



Do not use commas to separate digits.

1672 Macomber Street
One Park Plaza
20 Elm Avenue

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Addresses



Write street names that are numbered ten or below as ordinal
words (First, Second, Third).



In street names involving numbers greater than ten, write the
numeral portion in ordinal figure form (11th, 22nd, 33rd,
41st).

114 Fifth Avenue
nd
404 42
Street
rd
2094 East 33
Street
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Telephone Numbers



Express telephone numbers with figures.



Place the area code in parentheses before the telephone
number. Include a space after the closing parenthesis.



As an alternate form, you may use hyphens or periods.



When you include an extension, separate it from the phone
number with a comma.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Telephone Numbers Examples
Please call me at (706) 663-0785 if you have comments.
You can contact me at 404-394-1228, Ext. 295, after 10 a.m.

Our toll-free number, 1.800.937.5594, is available 24 hours a
day.

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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 Company and Product Names



Some company and product names contain numbers. Always
write these names using the organization’s preferred style.

3Com

Super 8 Motels

L-3 Communications Heinz 57 Sauce
19 Entertainment

Six Flags

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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TRY
TRY YOUR
YOUR SKILL
SKILL

Make any necessary
corrections to number

1.

The committee was made up of 1 chair and
8 members.

expression.
The committee was made up of one
chair and eight members.

General Rule

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© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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TRY
TRY YOUR
YOUR SKILL
SKILL

Make any necessary

2.

Wireless service costs $75.00 per month.

corrections to number
expression.
Wireless service costs $75 per month.

Money

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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22


TRY
TRY YOUR
YOUR SKILL

SKILL

Make any necessary
corrections to number

3.

Our next sales meeting will take place on
April 18th.

expression.
Our next sales meeting will take place on
April 18.
Date

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© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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23


TRY
TRY YOUR
YOUR SKILL
SKILL

Make any necessary

4.All employees must be at work by 8:00 A.M.

corrections to number
expression.
All employees must be at work by 8 a.m.

Time

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© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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24


TRY
TRY YOUR
YOUR SKILL
SKILL

Make any necessary

5.

The court is located at Two Broadway Lane.

corrections to number
expression.
The court is located at 2 Broadway Lane.

Address

© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning
© 2017 Cengage Learning®. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.
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