Writing units of measurement?

RLSMiller · Jun 17, 2007

Quick question.

If one of my characters says "You do realise that's a three hundred lbs vase you're holding?" should I write it as it would sound (i.e "three hundred pounds" ) or keep it as "three hundred lbs," or write it as 300lbs (I've heard that numbers over 100 should use digits rather than spelling)?

I'm worried that if I write it as "three hundred pounds," it will be mistaken for money rather than weight.

Thanks in advance.

alleycat · Jun 17, 2007

Some people argue that numerals should never be used in dialogue, since dialogue consists of spoken words.

I would generally write a number out in fiction unless I had a good reason to use a numeral, and not use abbreviations (i.e., three hundred pounds or, in your example, as a "three-hundred-pound vase" since this is a compound modifier). I think there's a section in The Elements of Style that discusses this. If I could put my hands on my copy . . . I'd go look. ;-)

If it's clearly obviously that the pounds refers to weight, I wouldn't worry about it being confused with currency. And if you need to use currency, you could write it as "British pound" or "pounds sterling".

Maryn · Jun 17, 2007

I think the potential for confusion can be minimized by making pound singular (which is how it would be said in the US) and/or by hyphenating the words preceding vase as you would any other compound adjective.

(The 'rule' is to hyphenate the elements of a temporary compound adjective, one which loses its meaning if any of the elements is removed, if it appears before the noun, or if needed for clarity. Examples include blue-ribbon pie, hard-nosed boss, ill-fated voyage, mass-produced shoes, wacked-out psycho, thrown-together salad, up-to-the-minute news. Remove blue or ribbon, hard or nosed, etc. and the meaning disappears.)

So consider "You do realise that's a three hundred-pound(s) vase you're holding?" , with or without the S as seems right for your character.

Maryn, who hopes this helps

Jamesaritchie · Jun 17, 2007

Measurement

No one ever has or ever will speak a number. It's impossible. People speak words. This is why we have both "10" and "ten." This is also why we have "lbs" and "pounds."

If people could speak numbers, we would not need words to express those numbers.

And you would write "You do realise that's a three hundred pound vase you're holding?"

Sassee · Jun 17, 2007

Phrase it like "You do realize that vase you're holding weighs three hundred pounds?"

Sandi LeFaucheur · Jun 17, 2007

I agree with Sassee. Change the order of the words. And quite frankly, if they were holding a vase weighing 300 lbs, I really think they'd realise it. Their arms would drop off!

I think the potential for confusion can be minimized by making pound singular

Whether it's weight or money, you'd still say "pound" and not "pounds" if the sentence is worded: a three hundred pound vase.

Death Wizard · Jun 20, 2007

Sandi LeFaucheur said:
I agree with Sassee. Change the order of the words. And quite frankly, if they were holding a vase weighing 300 lbs, I really think they'd realise it. Their arms would drop off!

Whether it's weight or money, you'd still say "pound" and not "pounds" if the sentence is worded: a three hundred pound vase.

Wouldn't it be a three-hundred-pound vase?

Sandi LeFaucheur · Jun 21, 2007

deathwizard said:
Wouldn't it be a three-hundred-pound vase?

Yes.

scarletpeaches · Jun 21, 2007

How the hell could anyone lift a 300 lbs vase?

Isn't it a vase worth three hundred pounds?

And no, I wouldn't advise saying 'sterling' or 'British pounds'. That's redundant. No Brit would say that. We say pounds and leave it at that. If we're talking about currency, it's obvious we're talking about British money so 'sterling' would be redundant, as would 'British'. I mean, why would we talk about foreign pounds?

alleycat · Jun 21, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
How the hell could anyone lift a 300 lbs vase?

His character may be the Jolly Green Giant for all we know. I took it as only an example anyway.

Isn't it a vase worth three hundred pounds?

Not according to what the OP asked.

And no, I wouldn't advise saying 'sterling' or 'British pounds'. That's redundant. No Brit would say that. We say pounds and leave it at that. If we're talking about currency, it's obvious we're talking about British money so 'sterling' would be redundant, as would 'British'. I mean, why would we talk about foreign pounds?

Because it's a story, not real life. Of course, if it really would sound odd to someone in the UK, that's a different thing (I have no knowledge or opinion about that). No American would say "US dollars" in daily conversation, but it is used in some situations where it's important to distinguish between USD and Canadian dollars, or one of the other dollar currencies. And I hear "pounds sterling" used quite often; although I wouldn't expect to hear it used while buying fish and chips in London.

RLSMiller · Jun 21, 2007

To the people asking how someone can lift a 300 pound vase... check the sig. It's a YA fantasy, pretty much anything can happen (and that is tame in comparison to certain things I've read). It's the first moment that my protagonist discovers her abilities, enhanced strength being one of them. She grabs the vase up to douse a fire, but she's so pumped full of adrenaline that she doesn't realise how heavy the vase is until someone comments.

It's a tricky situation, because the guy who makes the comment is a rich, image conscious sort of person, and it wouldn't be out of character for them to comment on how much something is worth. Plus, he's an American but the scene takes place in Britain, so there goes another reason for the reader to think he's talking about currency rather than weight.

Anyhow, for the moment I've changed it to "You do realise that thing weighs three hundred pounds?” to save confusion. Thanks for the responses all the same.

ResearchGuy · Jun 21, 2007

RLSMiller said:
Quick question.

If one of my characters says "You do realise that's a three hundred lbs vase you're holding?" . . . .

" . . . three-hundred-pound vase . . . ." No one would say it as "pounds," the hyphenation is needed for the adjectival phrase, and the unit should not be abbreviated (unless house style calls for that, which I suspect is improbable).

Ultimately, house style as applied by a copyeditor will decide whether numeral or word for the number. But I would not recommend numerals in dialogue, and doubt a copyeditor would, either.

--Ken

Sohia Rose · Jun 21, 2007

deathwizard said:
Wouldn't it be a three-hundred-pound vase?

That's what I thought too because "three-hundred-pound" is acting as an adjective.

Writing units of measurement?

RLSMiller

alleycat

Still around

Maryn

I Tried

Jamesaritchie

Sassee

Momma Wolf

Sandi LeFaucheur

Death Wizard

Tumhe na koci puujetha

Sandi LeFaucheur

scarletpeaches

alleycat

Still around

RLSMiller

ResearchGuy

Resident Curmudgeon

Sohia Rose

Will write for coffee