Seven o'clock vs 7 o' clock

[bambina-in-nero]

Is it possible to indicate the time with letters, or just with numbers?

eg 7 o'clock
Is it possible to write seven o'clock (or any other time) or it's a mistake?

 

[DocPenfro]

Is it possible to write seven o'clock (or any other time) or is it a mistake?

When I was at school (forty-five years ago or so) we were taught that it was a mistake to write numbers of any kind as digits. I suppose our teacher would have made an exception for telephone numbers, and possibly dates like "1066", but the overall principle was pretty rigid. "7 o'clock"? Never in 1,000,000 years.

This convention no longer seems to be widely observed, and it doesn't seem like any great loss.

 

[Rover_KE]

In the modern era, '7 o'clock' is just fine.

I'd never consider writing 'seven o'clock'.

Rover

 

[Egmont]

I would usually use the digit for 7 o'clock, despite the general convention to spell out small numbers. I'd make an exception if this starts a sentence. There, I'd spell it out to start the sentence with an upper-case letter.

 

[Copperknickers]

A good rule to stick to is: numbers under twenty, write out, numbers 21 and over, use digits. It depends entirely on the context of course: if you're writing an essay on mathematics or writing a quick memo, then use digits, but if it's a quality article on literature or history etc, then that rule is obligatory.

 

[ewie]

A good rule to stick to

That's a good rule, CK ... but it's new to me

 

[sdgraham]

Have you reviewed the existing threads concerning "o'clock?"

3 o'clock
3 o'clock position
at about 10 o'clock - grammar
at about 8 o'clock
be around 10 o`clock
by 9 o' clock
By the time it's nine o clock in the morning, everyone
Can we talk on Skype at about eight o'clock?
eight o'clock curtain
eight o'clock sharp
Five o'clock / Merienda
Five o'clock shadow
five o'clock shadow"
half past three o'clock
He can handle the five o'clock shadow ...
how about one o'clock?
I am to be at 6 o'clock
I had lunch at ten o'clock
I leave to catch the bus at 8 o'clock
I may not be able to get there before ten o’clock. - grammar
I spoke to him last night around ten o'clock.
I'll arrive in London on the 9 o'clock/ by train. - grammar
I'm going to school at/by 5 o'clock (preposition) - grammar
it must have been eight o'clock - grammar
It passes 3 o'clock
it will be held at 3 o clock
John it's 8 o'clock. Wake up! Let's go work in the garden.
Last night a lady called us at ten o clock at night
No, if at all possible, I'd prefer two o'clock.
Now is exact [it is exactly] four o clock!
O'clock
o'clock
o'clock
O'clock
o'clock / a.m. - p.m. - grammar
o'clock direction
o'clock sharp
On the dot / o´clock
one o' clock wednesdays
Our date FOR 10 o´clock
Shall we say two o'clock?
She won't be back until 3 o'clock.
She'll be back at 3 o'clock.
six o'clock position
synonyms of o'clock
tell me when it's XX o'clock
Thank you, I thought it was four o'clock on Tuesday
the six o'clock news
time + sneak up - 5 o'clock was quickly sneaking up on Maria
to meet my sister at one o'clock
until about 6 o'clock...
until it's ten o'clock
we arrive.....Paris at 8 o'clock - grammar
what o'clock is it?/what is the time?/what time is it?
Your appointment has been rescheduled for one o'clock tomorrow.

 

[Copperknickers]

That's a good rule, CK ... but it's new to me

I never said it was a famous rule, just one I've generally found to be good, personally.

 

[ewie]

Have you reviewed the existing threads concerning "o'clock?"

Have you, SDG?

Okay here's another good rule, which I learnt in school (late 60s / early 70s): all numbers from 1-12 should always be written as words; all other numbers should always be written as numbers.
It's a rule I've always adhered to, apart from the 23,009 amendments I've made to it over the decades.

The point I'm trying to make is that there is no single over-arching rule: folks pretty much do as they please. (Unless they're bound ~ or feel they're bound ~ by one of those infuriating 'style guides'.)

 

[JustKate]

I certainly wouldn't go so far as to call it a "rule," Ewie, but I do think it's rare to see a time written out - times are generally indicated in figures. You might find "five o'clock" written out from time to time (or Twelve O'Clock High - which is the name of a famous war movie, Bambina, in case you didn't know), but when was the last time you saw, for example, "five forty-five o'clock" or "fifteen minutes to six" written out?