# Why no periods in UK and U.S. requires them?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-periods-in-uk-and-u-s-requires-them/588439>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 9, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-periods-in-uk-and-u-s-requires-them/588439 "2011-07-09T19:53:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-periods-in-uk-and-u-s-requires-them/588439/21 "2011-07-11T22:01:15Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> …  
> just write and let the copyeditor figure it out…

🙂 Exactly so.  
But then comes the usual shriek to that helpful copyeditor, Don’t Fuck With My Copy!

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**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-periods-in-uk-and-u-s-requires-them/588439/22 "2011-07-12T22:42:02Z")

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seems rather pedantic. Like 'plane and 'bus - both of which you used to see, but don’t any more.

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**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-periods-in-uk-and-u-s-requires-them/588439/23 "2011-07-13T01:17:58Z")

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I just read a book where Roman Numerals were followed by a period, as in “Napoleon III. then declared war…” or “Louis XIV. declared his support…”  
(Fyffe, History of Europe, English, about 1878, free on Project Gutenberg.) Interesting stylistic nuance…

(The writer also uses the term “milliards,” which isn’t much used these days…)

Trinopus

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-periods-in-uk-and-u-s-requires-them/588439/24 "2011-07-13T01:23:17Z")

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> [@Trinopus](#):
>
> I just read a book where Roman Numerals were followed by a period, as in “Napoleon III. then declared war…” or “Louis XIV. declared his support…”  
> (Fyffe, History of Europe, English, about 1878, free on Project Gutenberg.) Interesting stylistic nuance…

My guess is that it’s something like the German style of putting periods after numerals to indicate abbreviated ordinals. “XIV” is just “fourteen,” but “XIV.” is “fourteenth.” I suppose you might avoid the the abbreviation by writing “XIVth.”

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