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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Letter Writing

Why there is a brackets after a number?

Hi all, I find from some official mails / announcements that numbers in letters would be followed by a brackets with the corresponding number in digit inside, e.g.

... will continue to store your content for one (1) year.....

My question is when should we use a pair of brackets to describe the preceding number? And how should we use this?

Thanks!
  

Top answer

Hello, moknam - and welcome to English Forums. That is a much overused device. Reserve its use for legal documents (contracts, agreements, etc) and business correspondence in which it is critical that the specific number be understood, as in placing an order for a product.

— Mister Micawber

  • Hello, moknam - and welcome to English Forums.
  • That is a much overused device.
  • Reserve its use for legal documents (contracts, agreements, etc) and business correspondence in which it is critical that the specific number be understood, as in placing an order for a product.
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4 Answers
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Hello, moknam - and welcome to English Forums.

That is a much overused device. Reserve its use for legal documents (contracts, agreements, etc) and business correspondence in which it is critical that the specific number be understood, as in placing an order for a product.
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Thanks Micawber! So why don't we simple write...

... will continue to store your content for 1 year....

Is it because we better write the number in letters if it's smaller than ten? or else?
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I have already explained when we don't 'simply write' what you have just written.

Spelling out small numbers (to ten or twelve) in formal writing is good style and unrelated to your original question.
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