spelling numbers
I think I remember reading somewhere (here, maybe?) that you make an exception with spelling numbers out when the number is part of a proper noun (7-Eleven), or the name of something like a road (as in Highway 9, or Route 66).
Anyone? I've got a couple of these in my WIP.
You are correct about using the numeral in proper nouns that use numbers and for highway names; you give perfect examples. And, as you also know, some other proper names spell out their numbers: "Seventh Day Adventists," "Million Dollar Baby," and "Sixth Sense," for example. Local event planners get to decide if they're holding the "Tenth Annual Class Reunion," or the "10th Annual Class Reunion." It's their event; they get to name it. You should do the same in your novel. The over-riding consideration is the reader and sometimes consistency must give way to readablity.
In general, numbers one through ninety nine are
generally spelled out (but not always!) by Chicago Manual fans. Associated Press reporters are coached to spell out numbers one through nine and switch to numerals for 10 and up. Both stylebooks treat the topic of numbers extensively, and specific decisions by both depend on the number's context.
In the first poster's query, I'd advise the numeral: "So what if she's 127?" on three counts. It is over ninety nine, meant to be exact, and not a round number (see below.)
BUT: if it's an expression involving a round number (even quite a large one) or a number
without the intent to be precise, CM counsels the opposite:
"So what if she's a hundred years older than the rest of us? She's still a lady!"
"She lived in a city of five hundred thousand."
"He gave me seven hundred reasons to love him."
Other expressions are spelled out by tradition: "Four score and seven years ago..." and others are not: 9/11.
I'm sorry to differ with an esteemed poster, but there is no universal rule about spelling numbers out in dialogue "no matter what." The most that we have are guidelines and preferences. I'd strongly advise thumbing through a recognized style guide before forcing readers to handle a string like, "My grandmother was born four hundred seventy six million years before time began," or some such. Readers lose track. Both CM and AP editors would recommend (
not rule!) "My mother was born 476 million years before time began."
Since you've been nice enough to read this far, I'll toss in a recommendation for clock times, just because it's a number that throws a lot of writers. The guide is, as usual, CM:
1. Whole, half and quarter hours are usually spelled out in texts and inside spoken quotes. Whenever "o'clock" is used, it must be so. "My day ends at five o'clock," and "The Wiccans convened at nine thirty."
2. Use numbers when writing or speaking precise clock times. "The clock read 12:47 when the guillotine fell," and "I'm taking the 4:08 to Statan Island." Most readers, I think, "hear" "four oh eight" in their heads, if they think about it.
But, the point of non-intrusive editing is keeping the reader turning the page, not forcing her/him to stop and ponder something as strange as "take the five oh five to Highway nine," or "seven oh clock." Each of these expressions seems more likley to induce head scratching than admiration for the well-turned phrase.
Remember: You're the writer and you don't need to know this stuff. That's what editors are for! Now go write something we can edit!
Cheerio,
Old Word Wolf
.