When to write numbers as words  Spell out single-digit whole numbers. Use numerals for numbers greater than nine. Sam has three brothers and two sisters.  Always write out a number when it begins a sentence. Forty-five accountants attended the meeting.

Be consistent  Sam bought seven books and eighteen magazines.  NOT: Sam bought seven books and 18 magazines.

Decades  When writing about decades, spell them out. In the sixties, many women did not have jobs outside the home, but in the seventies, this changed.

Hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.  I won thirty-four dollars in the Poker game.  I’ve completed twenty-five credits so far at Oakton.

Don’t use plurals when the number comes before a plural noun  He won six million dollars in the lottery.  She made two hundred dollars last week.  With “of” use the plural. He made millions of dollars.  She bought hundreds of books.

Be careful with hyphens and plurals when talking about age.  Barbara has a car. Barbara’s car is five years old.  You can change the age to an adjective phrase. Use hyphens and “year” in singular form.  Barbara has a five-year-old car. singular

Practice  Write 1 sentence that mentions how old someone or something is.  Us ea relative pronoun in your sentence, also.