How to quote the year in dialogue...

emc07 · Apr 30, 2009

Hello everyone,
I did a search to see if this question was in a previous post, but I didn't find anything. So I apologize if this has been asked before.

If the character says:

"Yeah, I was there in '05."

"Yeah, I was there in oh-five."

I assume that the first is the correct way, but I've been wrong many times. I know we're supposed to spell out the numbers, but the second one looks weird to me.

Does anyone know which is correct? Thanks in advance for your help

dpaterso · May 1, 2009

I'd go with either version. It's of those "as long as you keep it consistent" things.

-Derek

bonitakale · May 1, 2009

I'd go with the first, unless there's a compelling reason (such as dialect: "I was there in Ought Six") for spelling it out. Years, whether 1066, 1215, 1776, or 2009 (or '09) look better as numbers.

KikiteNeko · May 1, 2009

First one. The second one is confusing and it sounds like he's saying "oh (pause) five." As in "Oh, about five."

seun · May 1, 2009

I'd go for the number. Using the words for a year just looks odd, but as Derek said, consistency is the key.

scarletpeaches · May 1, 2009

"I was there four years ago."

This has been #382,533 on scarletpeaches' list of simple answers to simple questions.

emc07 · May 1, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
"I was there four years ago."

This has been #382,533 on scarletpeaches' list of simple answers to simple questions.

Well that works too.

Thanks everyone

KikiteNeko · May 1, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
"I was there four years ago."

This has been #382,533 on scarletpeaches' list of simple answers to simple questions.

But were you there in 2004 or two thousand and four?

davidnowlin · May 5, 2009

I think that the general rule is that you should spell numbers out in dialogue. People don't speak in numerals. A reader doesn't know whether to read 2004 as 'two thousand four' 'two thousand and four' or 'twenty aught four' or what. People speak in words. Write the words out when your people are speaking so that the reader knows what's being said.

I always write out numbers and the reason I do it is because I think that it lends a little conversational-quality to the writing and I want the reader to feel like the narrator is telling him a story. Out loud. In other words, I write them out because that's how it's done in dialogue and I try to write even my prose as dialogue.

Just my two cents.

JimmyB27 · May 6, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
"I was there four years ago."

This has been #382,533 on scarletpeaches' list of simple answers to simple questions.

But that'll get confusing when someone reads the book in 2015.

This has been #411,965 (or number four hundred and eleven thousand, nine hundred and sixty five) on Jimmy's list of awkward bastard nitpicks...

dpaterso · May 6, 2009

JimmyB27 said:
(or number four hundred and eleven thousand, nine hundred and sixty five)

And there are those who would hyphenate that number...

-Derek

gothicangel · May 6, 2009

I don't like using dates because they date the book.

emc07 · May 6, 2009

Some good points. Thanks!

How to quote the year in dialogue...

emc07

Foo Fighters Junkie

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

bonitakale

KikiteNeko

.

seun

Horror Man

scarletpeaches

emc07

Foo Fighters Junkie

KikiteNeko

.

davidnowlin

JimmyB27

Hoopy frood

dpaterso

Also in our Discord and IRC chat channels

gothicangel

Toughen up.

emc07

Foo Fighters Junkie