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If I'm talking about a length of time in a cover letter, let's say 5.5 years, what would be the correct way to write this?

  • five-and-a-half years
  • 5-1/2 years
  • 5.5 years
Secespitus
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bernk
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    When using a fraction introduces problems with how the text will look or sound, change the unit of measurement. 66 months avoids the issues of hyphens (or not) and the solidus when precision is required and more than 5 years will suffice in many cases. – Fortiter Mar 15 '13 at 02:59

1 Answers1

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five and a half years

No hyphens. Hyphens are for adjective phrases:

It was a five-and-a-half-year journey.

You also don't use the hyphen with the fraction.

51⁄2 years

Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum
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    ...unless you're using the Chicago or AP style guides, which specify usages like one-quarter and (Chicago only, I think) five and one-half. (One of my clients is a non-profit that uses AP supplemented by an internal style sheet.) – Goodbye Stack Exchange Mar 14 '13 at 22:18
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    Eh, okay. Those grate on my eyes, but you're citing official sources. – Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum Mar 14 '13 at 22:57
  • True, but I'm just citing this for completeness's sake. For a cover letter to accompany a resume, Chicago/AP is unlikely to apply. @bernk, if that's what this is, just pick a method and stick to it. – Goodbye Stack Exchange Mar 14 '13 at 23:28
  • Unfortunately, my copy of the Franklin Covey style guide agrees with this, although it's not the most recent edition. Even the Yahoo! style guide requires you write one-quarter, although it (interestingly) absolutely refuses to provide a ruling on how to write out numbers like "1 1/2". But in dialog or quoted speech, such as "five and a half" - none of these references offer guidance. – Goodbye Stack Exchange Mar 15 '13 at 02:43
  • I'd write "five and one half" rather than "five and a half" in formal writing, unless I was quoting someone. Just like I'd write "five and two thirds" rather than "five and a couple of thirds". Also, I think the big-numbers rule applies: Past 20 or so we switch from spelling out to use hindu-arabic digits. I'd do similarly at some point with fractions. Like, "12 34/137" rather than "twelve and thirty-four one hundred thirty-sevenths". – Jay Mar 15 '13 at 15:19
  • @Jay But you can have one third vs. two thirds. You can only have a half or you have a whole. "Five and one half" sounds pompous. Also, AP style is to use numerals above 10, not 20. – Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum Mar 15 '13 at 17:09
  • FWIW, MLA Handbook says to spell out numbers that can be written in one or two words and to use numerals for others. With various special cases that I won't go into. I was taught in school to use numerals above 20, but I don't recall if that came from some recognized style guide or where. – Jay Mar 18 '13 at 15:07
  • @LaurenIpsum Personally I think "a half" sounds sloppy. (shrug) Not something I'd fight to the death over. – Jay Mar 18 '13 at 15:08
  • @Jay Yeah, I wouldn't get in the steel cage over it either. Neither is wrong. – Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum Mar 18 '13 at 20:50
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    @LaurenIpsum But if you want to travel to Michigan for a death match, let me know where to meet you. – Jay Mar 19 '13 at 06:04
  • @Jay I'm not stepping into a steel-cage death math for anything less than "the fight to ban impactive, impactful, and the use of impact as a verb when not applied to meteorites." – Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum Mar 19 '13 at 09:59