Unit 8 Active Reader

Grammar Punctuation Usage Lens

Page 1

Without it, the average air temperature would be just above 0°F.

Some numbers should be spelled out in words, and some should appear in Arabic numerals. Typically, numbers that can be written in two words or less are written in words. However, in the case of a measurement such as a temperature, use the numeral instead.

Professor Kennedy uses the correct form when she gives the temperature measurement of 0°F. This form gives the Arabic numeral for “zero,” the symbol for degrees (°), and the abbreviation for “Fahrenheit,” a scale for measuring temperature.

…with two thirds of it happening since 1980.

Some numbers should be spelled out in words, and some should appear in Arabic numerals. Typically, numbers that can be written in two words or less are written in words.

Simple fractions such as two thirds should be written out as words. All specific years, such as 1980, should be given as numbers. Although “nineteen eighty” would only be two words, this is not how years are typically written.

Consider just three of the changes that are already happening: extreme wildfires, the spread of diseases, and rising sea level.

You can use the colon to introduce a list of items. In this sentence, Dr. Kennedy uses a colon to signal that she is about to list three changes that are happening in our environment.

Page 2

But Yosemite still burns; over a month in, over $100 million spent fighting the fire, and 400 square miles of forest up in flames, and still it burns.

The most common use of the semicolon is to separate two closely related independent clauses. Using a semicolon to combine two closely related sentences can help you to write longer, more complex and interesting sentences.

In this sentence, there are two independent clauses separated by a semicolon. The first one explains the situation: But Yosemite still burns. The second one provides additional, related information: over $100 million spent fighting the fire, and 400 square miles of forest up in flames, and still it burns.

Page 3

The World Health Organization reports that dengue fever is now the fastest spreading mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide, infecting 100 million new victims every year.

Some numbers should be spelled out in words, and some should appear as Arabic numerals. Typically, numbers that can be written in two words or less are written in words. For very large or estimated numbers, writers can use a combination of the two methods.

Here, instead of writing “100,000,000,” Kennedy wrote a briefer version of the number: 100 million. For statistics representing large numbers, writers will use numbers and words instead of having a really long number or a wordy construction such as “one hundred million.”

The rest are only one or two meters above sea level.

Some numbers should be spelled out in words, and some should appear as Arabic numerals. Typically, numbers that can be written in two words or less are written in words. The numbers one and two can be written in one word each, so the rule is to use words. Any number that can be written in two words or less should be written out in words.

Page 4

First of all, we can support government and business initiatives to limit emissions, develop non-fossil fuel technology, and increase energy efficiency.

When writing numbers, there are rules that govern when to use Arabic numerals and when to write numbers out as words. Ordinal numbers, such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are written as words.

In this section of the article, Professor Kennedy uses the ordinal numbers first and second to describe two actions we can take against global warming.

The average American produces a whopping twenty tons of CO₂ every year.

When writing numbers, there are rules that govern when to use Arabic numerals and when to write numbers as words. Typically, numbers that can be written in two words or less would be written in words.

In this sentence, the author uses the word twenty.

Page 5

The biggest reason for all these wildfires is 100+ years of misguided forest management.

When writing numbers, there are rules that govern when you must use Arabic numerals and when you must write numbers out as words. Here, the writer uses 100+ to indicate an unspecified quantity over one hundred. Since the full quantity (one-hundred plus) would require more than two words, the commenter correctly writes it by using Arabic numerals.

Under natural conditions, about 16,000 acres would have burned every year in Yosemite.

When writing numbers, there are rules that govern when you must use Arabic numerals and when you must write numbers out as words. As a general rule, a large number like 16,000 is written in Arabic numerals as it is here.