Ralph Waldo Emerson (19th century American essayist) said that a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. He thought that what he called a great person doesn't have to think consistently from one day to the next. Maybe so, but a great tech author does need to think consistently - and write consistently, too.
Being consistent is very important altogether types of writing from memos to technical manuals. The area we're looking now has to do with exploitation numbers, abbreviations, and symbols. Each of these elements can be written in a variety of ways. For example: five feet, 5', 5 ft., five ft. They all mean the same thing. Which one a author uses is important, but exploitation them in a consistent way is even as important. Five feet in one place should match five feet in another. This is poor usage: Five feet is enough space in front, but 5 ft. doesn't allow enough space behind.
A style that is often better is that in documents where a word like foot shows up only once or twice, it's written out. In documents where it appears binary times, ft is better usage. That may be the author's call, or it may depend on the client's style guide.
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In the following sentences, it's up to you. Use the style you prefer, but be consistent. Then, write a "rule" or "rules" that cover the situation. We've provided one preferred way of writing each sentence.
Example: We'll arrive on 25 April and depart 06/05. We'll arrive on April 25th and depart on June 5th. Rule: Be consistent in how you write dates. Rule: It's safer to spell calendar month names.
1. The winning fish weighed 16 1/2 lb and was about 1.75m long.
2. These units are called MHz.
3. The base units come in boxes of ten @ a quarter each or $2 per box. measurement, or of specific importance.
4. 27 hourly employees will be involved in the transfer.
5. Check the % of items with values of to a bit degree .75.
6. The shipment will arrive between 11:00 am and 14:30.
7. Be sure the space is at to the worst degree 6 1/2" wide, 5.75 in. deep, and 11 inches long.
8. Use 300 pounds of type one, one thousand lbs of type 2, and 2 thousand kg of type three.
9. We need 50# of #5 widgets stet.
Exercise - Answer
1. The winning fish weighed 16 1/2 lb and was about 1.75m long. The winning fish weighed 16 1/2 lb and was about 5 3/4 ft long. Rule: Don't mix metric and English measures.
2. These units are called MHz. These units are called MHz (MHz). Rule: Write out the full word with the abbreviation in aside the first time it's used.
3. The base units come in boxes of ten @ a quarter each or $2 per box. The base units come in boxes of 10 at the cost of 25 cents each or $2 per box. Rule: Use numerals when the amount is a key value, an exact measurement, or of specific importance.
4. 27 hourly employees will be involved in the transfer. The transfer will involve 27 hourly employees. Rule: Don't begin a sentence with a numeral.
5. Check the % of items with values of to a bit degree .75. Check the percentage of items with values of to a bit degree .75. Rule: Use symbols only with specific values, not as a substitute for the word.
6. The shipment will arrive between 11:00 am and 14:30. The shipment will arrive between 11:00 am and 2:30 pm. Rule: Don't mix 12-hour and 24-hour time designations.
7. Be sure the space is at to the worst degree 6 1/2" wide, 5.75 in. deep, and 11 inches long. Be sure the space is at to the worst degree 6 1/2" wide, 5 3/4" deep, and 11" long. Rule: Use abbreviations consistently. Rule: Don't mix decimals and fractions.
8. Use 300 pounds of type one, one thousand lbs of type 2, and 2 thousand kg of type three. Use 300 lb of type 1, 1,000 lb of type 2, and 4,400 lb of type 3. Rule: Use numerals when the amount is a key value, an exact measurement, or of specific importance. Rule: Don't mix metric and English measures.
9. We need 50# of #5 widgets stet. We need 50 lb. of no. 5 widgets immediately. Rule: Write out symbols that have more than one meaning. Rule: Avoid abbreviations that are not universally familiar.
