Can anyone explain to me the widespread copy editor’s loathing of sentences that begin with numerals? This question occurred to me when I read an article about Jacques Derrida in The New Republic that contained this sentence:
Why not: “1967 was Derrida’s breakthrough year”? After all, most publications would have no problem with, “In 1967, Derrida had his breakthrough year.”
(No use just quoting from various stylebooks about this rule, unless an explanation is included.)
For those who know how to read, but don’t know their numbers?
Interesting … if I recall my Associated Press Stylebook, all numbers that begin sentences are supposed to be spelled out EXCEPT for year numbers. And I know that AP style is more common in newspapers than magazines, but if an organization as stylistically conservative as the AP says it’s OK to start a sentence with a year number, then I would think it would be everywhere!
Matter of taste, I suppose. I, too, hate the way numerals look when they start a sentence. It’s simply that my eye does not expect a number at the head of a sentence, but rather a capital letter. Starting a sentence with a numeral causes my mind to stutter over the thought, and I would assume that the reasoning behind the stylebooks’ aversion to this would have to do with the same.
I was going to say the same. I think it’s because I try to process it as part of a numbered list, and not the opening to a sentence.
Snooooopy, I wonder if that’s a stylistic exception for newspapers because of space constraints?
But that’s somewhat of a circular argument — you may feel that way simply because you are not used to seeing a number at the beginning of a sentence. If numbers were allowed at the beginnings of sentences, you might be used to them.
Probably … newspapers do a lot of stuff for that reason, like having one space after a period instead of two.
One space after a period is common in newspapers, magazines, and books. Look for yourself. Two spaces is the exception. (What sometimes appears as two spaces is really one stretched-out space created by full justification of the line.)
I remember Microsoft Word coming with default programming that prohibited two spaces after a period. Does it still?
I am not going to quote a stylebook, but merely say that the reason for a stylebook is so that you don’t have to think about every little decision (email, e-mail, or E-mail?). Copy editors, like everyone else, have certain preferences but basically they follow the stylebook or the house style, and most stylebooks say don’t start a sentence with a numeral.
My guess is, somebody thought it was a good idea not to start a sentence with a numeral, including a year. After all, if you make an exception for 1967, how about 714? How about 36? Good ol’ AD 36 . . . anyway, many, many people agreed. Or at least many of the people who write stylebooks agreed.
Well, sure it is … now. But I can remember writing term papers and such and having to put two spaces after the period, then having to get used to the one-space rule when I became a journalist.
Yes, but if you’re an editor, you don’t want to make people adjust to your style because they might get mixed up or find it displeasing. I’m used to not starting sentences with numbers of any kind, but it doesn’t come up that much. And I still insist on using two spaces between sentences in e-mails and posts, but every place I’ve written for specifies one. It’s unnatural if you ask me. 
It’s a tradition in English. The rule does not apply in Japanese. Then again, no rules apply in Japanese…
Ahem.
Here’s a direct quote from my AP Stylebook.
“Spell out a numeral at the beginning of a sentence. If necessary, recast the sentence. There is one exception—a numeral that identifies a calendar year.”
Their examples:
Wrong: “993 freshmen entered the college last year.”
Right: “Last year 993 freshmen entered the college.”
Right: “1976 was a very good year.”
You use two spaces after the sentence when typing in a monospaced font. Proportional fonts only need one space. Since most of my typing is monospaced, I use two spaces out of habit.
Damn. You just beat me to it.
The two space rule is a holdover from the typewriter days. You would only use this rule for typewritten manuscripts and the such. When they were set to type, the two spaces were eliminated and adjusted for the proper proportions the font dictates. Professionally typeset books in non-monospaced fonts do not use two spaces after the period. Same thing with underlining book titles in typewritten works. When those were set to type, the underlined text would be changed to italics.