ENGLISH: Cardinal Numbers

[orpheus_samhain]

"Written cardinals from 21 to 99 are hyphenated -
thirty-seven
fifty-six
eighty-three" from hereI don't remember being taught that at school, but maybe I've forgotten. Has the rule changed recently? Not so recently

Comments

[ami_ven]

(east coast USA)

I don't usually write out the numbers as words in everyday life, but when I make out checks, I always use the hyphen.

[whswhs]

They have to be hyphenated. Neither closed up nor spaced is correct orthographically.

[orpheus_samhain]

Thank you.

[sollersuk]

UK usage: we sometimes hyphenate but sometimes don't bother (e.g. on cheques). I'm a bit vague because it's not a big deal, not something people get concerned about or even notice.

[iddewes]

Yes, I agree, it's not a big deal. Maybe if you work for a bank or have to write something official but otherwise doesn't matter.

[sollersuk]

When I worked in a solicitor's office and wrote out cheques it still didn't matter!

[iddewes]

From these replies I'm suspecting it's one of those things that US English is more anal about, like Mr with or without a full stop after it.

[fencer_x]

Always been hyphenated. This is pretty basic grammar, I thought o_O (southern USA, native speaker)

ETA: and for clarification, I do this daily, as I'm a language editor for non-native scientific manuscripts, so you'll often see sentences like, "Sixty-seven patients were enrolled between..."

Also it's not just 21-99; it goes on from there, like 129-->One hundred and twenty-nine.

[whswhs]

I copy edit scientific and scholarly material professionally, and that's one of the things I do too, when it arises. It's not even an optional point. On the other hand, I don't think I see the incorrect styles very often.