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Consider the following sentence.

We are selling ___ 1,800 sq ft office.

I would write an, because I say eighteen hundred. But someone else would say a, because they say one thousand eight hundred.

For 2,000 it's easier, because it's always two thousand.

For 2,100 it can again be twenty one hundred, or two thousand one hundred.

So what is grammatically correct, what do I write so that I don't confuse my readers?

jimm101
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Anemoia
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    "We are selling an office which is 1,800 sq ft in size." avoids the problem altogether. – Ian MacDonald Jan 09 '20 at 16:39
  • Most in the US would read it as "eighteen hundred". – Hot Licks Jan 09 '20 at 16:49
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    It is not really a matter of grammar, or even spelling. It is the sort of thing where a public tog would have its own policy (a 'style guide'). Many people mentally 'hear' what they are reading, and so for them 'a 1,800 sq ft office' sets up a 'discord' between what they see and what they 'hear'. It need not be a problem. But a useful rule of thumb is to find a way of avoiding the dilemma altogether. For example, "for sale: 1,800 sq ft office"; or "we are selling an office of 1,800 sq ft"; or we are selling 1,800 sq ft of office space" ... – Tuffy Jan 09 '20 at 16:57
  • I would likely choose a here on the understanding that the standard form is "one thousand, eight hundred," then pronounce it "an eighteen hundred" when I read it aloud. – Mike Graham Jan 09 '20 at 17:27
  • @Ian MacDonald offers the best solution, a rewrite; this won't get anyone tied up in knots. Grammaticality isn't involved; neither variant violates any rule of grammar. But Gricean Maxims require that you take pains to avoid any source of confusion / disorderliness (!), and if you want to honour them fully, you can't use either 'a' or 'an' here (some group will be discomfited) and using 'a/an' is not as concise as a rephrase. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 09 '20 at 19:04
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    As in "An SQL Server database schema" or "a SQL Server database schema"?, Is it supposed to be a HTML or an HTML, “An RV” or “a RV”? and so on, either form is valid, so don't get too worked up over it, or just reword the sentence as elsewhere suggested. – choster Jan 09 '20 at 21:07

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