According to Graham King in his book Collins Improve your Punctuation, it is clearer to write dimensions and measurements in figures as follows:
- The tablecloth is 15 by 25cm
- 4 metres of material is required
- The Christmas trees range from 4ft 6in to 7ft 5in tall
- 4oz butter, 4oz caster sugar, 4oz self-raising flour and 2 eggs
- He weighed in at 71b 10oz
- 1 part bleach, 6 part water
Do you put full stops after abbreviating measurements?
An article on the Technical Communication Centre site http://www.technicalcommunicationcenter.com/2010/09/29/how-to-write-and-punctuate-measurements-correctly/ explains that there is no punctuation (i.e. full-stop) required after abbreviated dimensions except for the abbreviation of inch (in.). This is because it could be mistaken for the preposition ‘in’, e.g. 7ft 1in. by 12ft 2in.
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Until tomorrow…
Sandra
My writing challenge: http://wp.me/p1x6Ui-4
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Reference list:
Graham King The Collins Improve your Punctuation, UK
Technical Communication Centre site http://www.technicalcommunicationcenter.com/2010/09/29/how-to-write-and-punctuate-measurements-correctly/
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