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Old 09-22-2013, 04:42 PM   #7
DiapDealer
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The first example is quite simple. Don't confuse the character for the author. In your sample dialogue, it's unclear if it's the character that's unsure of the exact number, or maybe a narrator. Which is quite plausible--especially if the character/narrator is recalling something that happened previously. Now if it's a third-person omniscient narrator setting a scene, you might have a case, but even then... it's a common enough manner of speaking that it probably wouldn't jump out at me as odd.

I've never experienced your second example with personal names omitted. I've seen some older texts do that with mild curse words before, though. Especially some stuff first published in various adventure-type fiction periodicals.
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