{"id":810,"date":"2012-07-22T20:00:35","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T03:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/?p=810"},"modified":"2023-01-23T12:22:55","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T20:22:55","slug":"why-do-people-people-put-numbers-numbers-in-parentheses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/?p=810","title":{"rendered":"Why do people (people) put numbers (numbers) in parentheses?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(An interesting note: This has become the most-read blog I have posted. It is also the most-commented blog I have posted with 75 comments. Thousands of people have read it, and it has been the subject of searches tens of thousands of times.) I occasionally re-read it, and I stand by my assertions here.)<\/span><\/p>\n

I was reading an application for a grant program at our local library recently when I encountered a series of phrases that were couched in terminology that just set me afire with curiosity.<\/p>\n

The author, who is a colleague of mine, had put Arabic numerals in parentheses after each mention of a number. For example:<\/p>\n

The application shall be completed in three (3) parts, and with three (3) copies to be turned in by June 30, 2012.<\/p>\n

I have always been irritated by this style of writing because it seems so insulting. Does the author think I\u2019m stupid? Or do they think that I don\u2019t know my numbers?<\/p>\n

Where does this come from? Why do people (people) do this (this)?<\/p>\n

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and I searched around the Interwebs a bit to find the source of the style, and it seems to be based in legal terminology, though even that seems specious. There is no law that says that you have to put numbers (numbers) in parentheses, nor is there any law that says that you have to assume that people don\u2019t know their numbers.<\/p>\n

Curiously, there is legal precedent that defines which of two entries of a number \u2013 the written-out version or the numerical version \u2013 is considered the valid one in the event that the two don\u2019t agree (as when written on a check). The answer is that the written-out version is the one that banks accept as the correct version, and not the numeric entry. So, if the written version is the legal version, then we don\u2019t even need the numerical version.<\/p>\n

So, why do people do this? I don\u2019t have any idea (idea).<\/p>\n

Are these the same people who think that the word \u201cparadigm\u201d is a useful word, or those who use \u201cmyself\u201d when they mean \u201cme\u201d?<\/p>\n

I say it\u2019s dumb (dumb), and it\u2019s time to stop doing it (it). Because it\u2019s really insulting (insulting) and we don\u2019t need numbers (numbers) in parentheses. Ever (ever).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a suggestion: if you are tempted to put numbers in parentheses after putting them in words, just don\u2019t do it.<\/em> Instead, use the Chicago Manual of Style<\/em> technique. Numbers from one to ten<\/em> should be written-out as words. From eleven onward, put them as Arabic numerals. That\u2019s simple, and it makes written numbers easier to read.<\/p>\n

Thank you (you) for reading my blog (blog).<\/p>\n

Addendum July 12, 2017:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Today I had an great\u00a0idea! What if we put numbers as Arabic\u00a0numerals, then follow them with Roman numerals? Here is an example:<\/p>\n

Please ship 23 (XXIII) tantalum capacitors and 9 (IX) paper capacitors to my new address in Munich\u2026<\/p>\n

Does this seem absurd? To me it\u2019s no more absurd that putting the numbers as words after the numerals, or numerals after words. Think it over.<\/p>\n

January 2023 Addendumb<\/em> (with emphasis on the dumb!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

This morning I received a promotional e-mail from United Airlines\u2019 frequent flyer program. It offers miles and prizes to those who respond to an offer. And, in a perfect example of the stupidity of putting numbers in parentheses, it says the following:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

Eight (8) winners (winners) will receive a year-long (one-year-long) subscription to an application that helps to reduce jet-lag! (jet-lag). Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps it would have been more clear if they had put the deadline date in both Indo-Arabic and Roman numerals to make it clearer? Enter by February 7 (VII), 2023 (MMXXIII).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I repeat my oft-repeated comment: do they think we\u2019re stupid? Do they think that this makes them sound more sophisticated? Do they think it adds clarity to the numbers to repeat them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This redundancy is just plain dumb. Stop it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(An interesting note: This has become the most-read blog I have posted. It is also the most-commented blog I have posted with 75 comments. Thousands of people have read it, and it has been the subject of searches tens of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,16,21],"tags":[64,707,704,703,705,706,108],"class_list":["post-810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-curmudgeon-2","category-language-and-grammar","category-mistakes-you-can-avoid","tag-brian-lawler","tag-number-entries-in-prose","tag-numbers-after-words","tag-numbers-in-parentheses","tag-numerals-after-words","tag-parenthetical-numbers","tag-the-blognosticator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=810"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3451,"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/810\/revisions\/3451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelawlers.com\/Blognosticator\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}