In a story, I want to say that a man laid six one hundred dollar bills on the table. Gramatically, how do I word this. Dollar stuff always trips me up.
money, money, money
- Thread starter mesh138
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Ah-ha, the temporary compound adjective strikes again!
There are six bills, each worth one hundred dollars, right? For purposes of clarity, which is what you need here, you can hyphenate it as six one-hundred-dollar bills.
There's more on temporary compound adjectives here.
Maryn, bada-bing, bada-boom
There are six bills, each worth one hundred dollars, right? For purposes of clarity, which is what you need here, you can hyphenate it as six one-hundred-dollar bills.
There's more on temporary compound adjectives here.
Maryn, bada-bing, bada-boom
You know, I usually do this kind of stuff correctly, but it sure is nice to come here and find actual rules about it. It's much less stressful when you know why you're doing something a certain way.
mesh138 said:
I know the correct way to do this, but in times when I've to use such wording in a story it never once looked right or read right to my eyes and ears, so I always reword, or just write "He laid six hundred dollars on the table."
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I like reph's phrasing better, particularly the first one.
Maryn, who'd be laying $598.55 in coins on the table and bemoaning the hole in her pocket (but amazed how much was loose in her purse, the pocket of her winter coat, the kitchen junk drawer, and on the washer)
Maryn, who'd be laying $598.55 in coins on the table and bemoaning the hole in her pocket (but amazed how much was loose in her purse, the pocket of her winter coat, the kitchen junk drawer, and on the washer)
Maryn said:
The thing is, unless you specifically say "coins," no one is going to visualize them. On the other hand, if you simply write "He laid six hundred dollars on teh table" teh reader is eithe rgoing to see six bills, or he just ain't very bright. Keep it simple and trust the reader. Spell thngs out only when you have to spell things out.
to me 'six hundred dollars' (in any assortment of bills) and 'six hundred dollar bills' (there are 600 of them) and 'six hundred-dollar bills' (there are 6 of them) are all different, but you only make that distinction if the detail is necessary, otherwise just say six hundred dollars. Either write $598 or five hundred and ninety-eight dollars but be consistent
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