1. SethG

    SethG Member

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    Your Interpretation

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by SethG, Jun 8, 2016.

    CMOS 16 says this:

    10.71 Time
    The following abbreviations, though not limited to the US system of measure, are used mainly in nontechnical contexts:

    sec.
    second
    min.
    minute
    h. or hr.
    hour
    d. or day
    day
    mo.
    month
    yr.
    year
    In nontechnical writing, the plurals of these abbreviations, unlike those of length, area, weight, and the like, are often formed by adding an s.

    5 secs.
    12 hrs. or 12 h.
    15 yrs.
    ------------
    Per guidance above, would the abbreviated plural form be "mins."?

    Also, do these look correct based on CMOS guidance above? I don't think the first example below needs hyphens, because abbreviations with periods are used, correct?

    a 2 hr. 20 min. 42 sec. finish time
    (Good per CMOS?)

    lasted 2 hrs. 20 mins. 42 secs.
    (Good per CMOS?)

    Thank you.
     
  2. Mike Kobernus

    Mike Kobernus Senior Member

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    Where do you plan to use this?
     
    Shadowfax likes this.
  3. Elven Candy

    Elven Candy Pay no attention to the foot in my mouth Contributor

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    Those all look good to me, but if they were in a novel, they'd look a little odd. In general, you don't want to abbreviate in a novel and you want to spell out numbers.

    So,

    a two hour, twenty minute, and forty-two second finish time.
    lasted two hours, twenty minutes, and forty-two seconds.

    OR, if you really want to put the numbers in numerical form:

    a 2 hour, 20 minute, and 42 second finish time.
    lasted 2 hours, 20 minutes, and 42 seconds.


    The abbreviated hour, minute, and second just look weird when reading it in a novel, and I'd think it was an author/editor oopsie.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2016
  4. ManOrAstroMan

    ManOrAstroMan Magical Space Detective Contributor

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    Yeah, only use abbreviations if you're inserting an official report into the text. Like:

    I clicked on the document file and scanned the report, looking for anything which stuck out. A few paragraphs in, something caught my eye:
    3d.12h.6m.10s: Subject becomes agitated
    3d.14h.2m.7s: Subject's aggression level jumps dramatically
    3d.20h.38m.20s: Subject becomes despondent, unresponsive
    3d.21h.10m.0s: ice cream administered
     

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