Starting a Sentence with a Number
Can I start a sentence with a number?
Starting a sentence with a number written in figures is an unpopular style. You should avoid it.- 71 people were rescued from the sinking ferry by the Latvian helicopter crew. (This is not wrong, but it is untidy.)
- The Latvian helicopter crew rescued 71 people from the sinking ferry. (This re-worded version is tidier.)
- Seventy-one people were rescued from the sinking ferry by the Latvian helicopter crew. (In this version, the number has been written in full to avoid starting the sentence with "71.")
Do Not Expand Numbers with Decimal Places
If your number contains a decimal point, try harder to reword your sentence.- 41.67% of people add decimal places to make their statistics look more credible. (This is untidy.)
- Precisely 41.67% of people add decimal places to make their statistics look more credible.
- To make their statistics look more credible, 41.67% of people add decimal places.
- Forty-one point sixty-seven per cent of people add decimal places to make their statistics look more credible. (This "fix" is worse than the original issue of untidiness.)
Do Not Expand Numbers with Units of Measurement
If your number precedes a unit of measurement (e.g., 12 m), try harder to reword your sentence.- 1 mm was enough to cause an engine failure. (This is untidy.)
- Just 1mm was enough to cause an engine failure.
- The engine failure was caused by a 1-mm error.
More Leniency with Years
Writers tend to be more comfortable with starting a sentence with a year. If you don't feel this way, simple add the phrase "The year" or reword.- 1984 was a good example. (This has not been marked wrong as most writers wouldn't consider this as untidy.)
- The year 1984 was a good example.
- A good example was 1984.
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