|
Welcome to your GrammarBook.com e-newsletter.
|
Whenever someone asks for a good book on grammar, I recommend The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.
—Mary N.
I am sincerely grateful to have found the GrammarBook.com website and its invaluable learning tools.
—Roxanne
Thank you so much for your weekly
e-newsletters with such wonderful tips!
—Jo A.
|
|
|
Hyphenation with Numbers and Units of Measure
Few punctuation marks prompt as much debate and discussion about when and
where to place them as the hyphen does.
Opinions and directives vary. GrammarBook.com aims to help
define common written English that applies proper, generally accepted
rules. Those guidelines likewise look to reinforce a precise and articulate
use of the language.
This means our guidance for our current hyphen topic may differ from the
recommendations you may find in research and scientific stylebooks.
An issue that still challenges many writers concerns the use and placement
of hyphens with numbers and units of measure. For example, which of the following are
correct?
50-ft. yacht
80 lb. bag
six centimeter caterpillar
100-meter dash
In addressing this topic, we side closer to the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. CMOS’s stance can be a bit
confusing at times; we hope to clarify it in this article.
According to CMOS, “if an abbreviation or a symbol is used
for the unit of measure, the quantity is always expressed by a numeral.
Such usage is standard in mathematical, statistical, technical, or
scientific text, where physical quantities and units of time are expressed
in numerals, whether whole numbers or fractions, and almost always followed
by an abbreviated form of the unit … Note that hyphens are never used
between the numeral and the abbreviation or symbol, even when they are in
adjectival form.”
Correct:
50 ft. yacht
80 lb. bag
6 cm caterpillar
100 m dash (Note that CMOS
uses a period when abbreviating English units but not when abbreviating
metric units.)
CMOS
further advises using a hyphen when the unit, abbreviation, or symbol is
spelled out, with the exception of percent.
Correct:
50-foot yacht
80-pound bag
six-centimeter caterpillar (Note that we spelled the number here because it’s less than ten and not used with a symbol or abbreviation.)
100-meter dash
But
10 percent raise
Written English in specialized fields such as healthcare, education, and
science often adheres to its own specific stylebook. In those cases, the
stylebook should serve as the writer’s guiding authority.
Because of the e-newsletter’s large readership, please submit your English usage questions through GrammarBook.com’s “Grammar Blog.” |
|
Pop Quiz
Correct the following sentences if needed. The answers appear below.
1. She served the drinks in 16 ounce mugs.
2. She served the drinks in 16-oz mugs.
3. The mugs could hold up to 16-ounces.
4. Weather predictions are about 50-percent accurate.
5. The 621-gram diamond is the largest in the world.
6. The 621-g. diamond is the largest in the world.
Free BONUS Quiz for You!
[[firstname]], because you are a subscriber to the newsletter, you get access to one of the Subscribers-Only Quizzes. Click here to take a Writing Numbers Quiz and get your scores and explanations instantly!
More Good News for Quiz Subscribers
We are pleased to announce that we have added even more quizzes to help you challenge yourself, your students, and your staff. We added quizzes to existing categories and created some new categories such as “Vocabulary,” “Spelling,” “Confusing Verbs,” “Subjunctive Mood,” “Comprise,” and “Sit vs. Set vs. Sat.”
We reviewed and strengthened every quiz on our website to ensure consistency with the rules and guidelines contained in our eleventh edition of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.
If you think you have found an error in a quiz, please email us at help@grammarbook.com.
“GrammarBook's subscription quizzes opened a new door for me, a way to see exactly who is doing the work and who isn’t, and it is very convenient for the students.”
“So convenient … hundreds of quizzes in one click.”
[[firstname]], Subscribe to receive hundreds of English usage quizzes not found anywhere else!
- Take the quizzes online or download and copy them.
- Get scored instantly.
- Find explanations for every quiz answer.
- Reproduce the quizzes to your heart’s content.
- EASY to use.
- No software to download.
- No setup time.
- A real person to help you if you have any questions!
Instructors and Employers: we make your life easier!
- Assign quizzes to your students or employees.
- Students log in from anywhere.
- Scores are tallied and compiled for you.
- You decide whether to let students see their own scores and quiz explanations.
- Let GrammarBook.com take the hassle out of teaching English!
“Fun to test my skills!”
“The explanations really help … thanks!”
Your choice: Subscribe at the $29.95 or $99.95 level ($30 off - previously $129.95).
“I download the quizzes for my students who don’t have computer access.”
Subscribe today to receive hundreds of English usage quizzes not found anywhere else!
“Makes learning English FUN!”
 |
Don’t need all the quizzes at once?
You can now purchase the same quizzes individually for ONLY 99¢ each. Purchase yours here. |
Get Yours Today!
Get Amazon’s No. 1 Best-seller in Four Categories!
No. 1 in Grammar
No. 1 in Reading
No. 1 in Lesson Planning
No. 1 in Vocabulary |
The Blue Book of Grammar
and Punctuation
by Jane Straus, Lester Kaufman, and Tom Stern
The Authority on English Grammar!
Eleventh Edition Now Available
Have You Ordered Your Copy Yet?
An indispensable tool for busy professionals, teachers, students, homeschool families, editors, writers, and proofreaders.
Available in print AND as an e-Book! Over 2,000 copies are purchased every month!
Order Your Copy Today!
- Hundreds of Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalization, and Usage Rules
- Real-World Examples
- Spelling / Vocabulary / Confusing Words
- Quizzes with Answers
The publisher of The Blue Book, Jossey-Bass, A Wiley brand, is offering a 35 percent discount for those of you who order the book through Wiley.com. Shipping and tax are not included. Simply go to bit.ly/1996hkA and use discount code E9X4A.
*Offer expires December 31, 2017.
|
Wordplay
Pop Quiz Answers
1. She served the drinks in 16-ounce mugs. [use a hyphen when the
unit is spelled out]
2. She served the drinks in 16 oz. mugs. [Hyphens are never used between the numeral and abbreviation, even when in adjectival form. Use a period when abbreviating English units.]
3. The mugs could hold up to 16 ounces. [no hyphen as “16
ounces” is not used as an adjective here]
4. Weather predictions are about 50 percent accurate. [hyphens are
not used with percent]
5. The 621-gram diamond is the largest in the world. CORRECT
6. The 621 g diamond is the largest in the world. [Hyphens are
never used between the numeral and abbreviation, even when in adjectival
form. A period is not used when abbreviating metric units.]
Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Tell your colleagues (and boss), children, teachers, and friends. Click here to watch. |
