Quiz #19: Numbers & Words

Don’t take this week’s quiz too seriously, folks. I know you all usually sweat bullets during these exacting exams, but relax—this isn’t grammar, it’s style. As long as you’re spelling the number right, you’re not really wrong. Pencils out! Books away!

(1) The Count beat Ernie at checkers (19 / nineteen) games to (5 / five).
(2) “That’s nothing,” said Bert. “Last week I won (40 / forty) games.”
(3) Oscar advised taking Route (71 / Seventy-One) to the city dump.
(4) Big Bird thought that was a great spot for the party he was hosting on January (23 / twenty-third).
(5) Gordon and Susan live at (123 / One Hundred Twenty-Three) Sesame Street.

ANSWERS

(1) The Count beat Ernie at checkers 19 games to 5.
Because this construction is like a score, numerals are preferred.

(2) “That’s nothing,” said Bert. “Last week I won forty games.”
Here, Bert is just stating a number, not an entire score, so we’ll spell out forty. Also: Editors frown on numerals within dialogue; spell out the numbers whenever possible.

(3) Oscar advised taking Route 71 to the city dump.
Routes, interstates, and street numbers are generally written as numerals. Exceptions include numbers under 11, as in Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street.

(4) Big Bird thought that was a great spot for the party he was hosting on January 23.
Dates = numerals.

(5) Gordon and Susan live at 123 Sesame Street.
An address functions like a numbered street, so numerals are usually the rule.

Again, these rules are bendable, so don’t get in a lather. But make your editor’s life easier (and score major suck-up points) by matching the style of the publication you’re writing for. As always, consistency counts!

Next week: Touchy gender issues in grammar.