Dec 20
A Warning For Number Nazis: Your Time Is Over
I am a rebel when it comes to writing numbers.
I know the “rules” and I flagrantly flaunt them. I urge you to do the same.
Why should you consider such a path of anarchy?
Simply put, the rules are stupid! As writers of non-trivial material, we should lead the way by example.
So let the examples begin.
According to Grammar Nazis, like most college English teachers, you must follow these orders!
In a sentence you must type the word “three” NOT “3”.
But put two (or is it 2?) together, and the rule reverses; “thirty-three” is verboten and “33” is vunderbar.
But at the beginning of a sentence, the rule reverses yet again; you must begin a sentence with “Thirty three” and you will be subject to arrest should you type:
“33 years ago, people were sane.”
That is INsane!
I submit for your consideration
That the numeric form is:
Always faster for a reader to grasp.
Always faster for an author to type.
And always, always conveys the same meaning.
It saves everyone’s time, our most precious asset.
So what, pray tell, is the point of numeric obfuscation?
There, that’s off my chest.
What do you think?
Tags: Writing, Numbers, Clarity, Time.
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