Numerals

Do not use on with dates unless its absence would lead to confusion. To describe sequences or inclusive dates or times use an en dash (–) without spaces for to. Abbreviate months when a date is used (see section 1.2).

Wrong: The program ends on December 15, 2002.
Right: The program ends Dec. 15, 2002.
Right: The program ends in December 2002.
Wrong: Apply here May 7 to 9, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Right: Apply here May 7–9, 8–10 a.m.

Use to, not a hyphen, when using from.

Wrong: The exhibition ran from May 1–23.
Right: The exhibition ran from May 1 to 23.

Spell out ordinals first through ninth and use numerals with appropriate letter suffixes for 10th and above.

Right: the first semester, the second vice president
Right: the ninth sample, our 50th anniversary

Do not use ordinals (st, th, etc.) with dates except when the month is not written. Do not use superscript ordinals.

Wrong: Submit applications by Oct. 14th.
Right: Submit applications by Oct. 14.
Exception: Submit applications by the 14th
Wrong: the 9th sample
Right: the ninth sample, our 50th anniversary

When referring to decades, change to numerals or capitalize the decade. Use apostrophe only if the use is possessive.

Wrong: Fraternities were banned in the 1980’s.
Right: The Beatles dominated the music scene in the 1960s.
Right: The Seventies was the decade of the “me generation.”
Right: She graduated with the Class of ’89.
Right: Mackenzie and Weisbrot wrote about the ’60s

Spell out inches, feet, and other measures in text. When writing measurements in lists etc., do not use smart quotes; use straight quotes.

Wrong: The gymnast measured 5’4″ tall.
Right: The pole vaulter was the tallest at 6 feet 10 inches tall.

Wrong: 6’2”
Right: 6’2″
Right: a 40-foot yacht

Use the dollar sign and numbers. Do not use a decimal and two zeros.

Wrong: $15.00
Right: $15
Right: $15.25

For dollar amounts beyond thousands, use the dollar sign, number, and appropriate word.

Wrong: The budget was $82,600,000.
Right: The grant was $82.6 million.
Right: It is a $14-million building.

Generally, spell out whole numbers one through nine, use figures for 10 and above. Use figures for dimensions and percentages. Grade levels are an exception—always spell them out. Check the Associated Press Stylebook for exceptions. Spell out numbers at the beginning of sentences. Use figures for ages, including 1-9. Avoid using fractions of years; use months.

Right: nine secretaries
Right: 16 buildings
Right: 4 inches
Right: He teaches eleventh grade.
Right: She has a daughter, Jill, 3.
Right: His son is 18 months old.
Right: Twenty students registered for the class.
Right: 8 megabytes, a 2-gigabyte hard disk

In tables, write percentages with the numeral and % symbol. In prose, spell out the word percent except in scientific, technical, and statistical copy.

Right: Seventy percent responded favorably.
Right: More than 90 percent of the class earned A’s, and only 2 percent failed.
Right: That is a 2-percent failure rate.

If a publication is strictly for use on campus, you may omit the initial three numbers of the exchange. If referring to the four-digit extension only, use ext. or extension before the number. If the publication may or will be sent off campus, include the area code.

Right: 207-859-4000
Right: ext. 4000
Wrong: x4000

When writing a time that falls on the hour, do not use :00. State the hour with a.m. or p.m.

Wrong: The concert begins at 8:00 p.m.
Wrong: The concert begins at 8 p.m. Friday evening.
Right:The concert begins at 8 p.m.
Right: The concert begins at 8:30 p.m.
Right: The museum is open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Exception: For proper alignment of a schedule in a list or column, you may use :00 and for times that fall on the hour. If zeros are used, be sure times align vertically in the column (usually flush right).

Use noon and midnight, not 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. Do not use 12 with noon or midnight.

Wrong: The session will end at 12 noon.
More Wrong: The session will end at 12 p.m.
Right: The session will end at noon.
Right: He came to work at midnight.

Wrong:
8 Registration
9:15 Coffee
Right:
8:00 Registration
9:15 Coffee
10:00 Plenary Session

Spell out Eight in the name of the a cappella group the Colby Eight.

In second and subsequent references, use D-III (with hyphen) for the division in which most of Colby’s varsity teams compete (D-I for alpine and Nordic skiing).

For second references to Early Decision I and Early Decision II admission, use ED I and ED II with roman numerals. Also capitalize Regular Decision when referring to the admissions schedule.