Style Standards

  A rule book on writing style is no more than a guide to consistency of usage, and in many ways it is arbitrary, reflecting the preferences of the editor in charge.
   Grammar is another issue, and its rules are more widely accepted by speakers and writers of a language or dialect.
   Writers can sometimes feel trapped and confused when they cannot separate the rules of grammar from arbitrary -- even capricious -- rules of style.
   For example, when dealing with percentages, should one spell out a number or use numerals? Should percent be one word or two -- per cent? Or abbreviated (pct.), or the symbol (%)? The choices are nine percent, nine per cent, 9 pct. and 9%.
   Which is "correct"? Answer: They all are.
   Which is preferred? Answer: The one the editor likes. And that, friends, is arbitrary.
   There are, however, some guidelines that can be considered in deciding which form to use. When writing about percentages, it's better to use numerals in all instances, partly because spelling out a fraction or a decimal is unwieldy. Seventeen-and-three-quarters percent, for example. Use 17.75 percent instead. That yields not only an easier read, with no hyphens, and you avoid the complication of opening a sentence with a numeral by using an approximation word or phrase -- some, more than, almost, for example.
   Inconsistent forms distract readers from the message when they are forced to stop and mentally recalculate how one relates to another. Don't mix decimal numerals and fractions, for instance.
   A writer's task is to communicate. Don't force readers to decipher what you mean. Whichever form you decide to use, or the editor tells you to use, be consistent, and apply the same principle throughout your writing.