the larger one (, or ), thus avoiding the clumsier and . Subtractive notation is also used for 40 (), 90 (), 400 () and 900 (). These are the only subtractive forms in standard use. A number containing two or more decimal digits is built by appending the Roman numeral equivalent for each, from highest to lowest, as in the following examples: &numsp;&numsp;39 = + = . &numsp;246 = + + = . &numsp;789 = + + = . 2,421 = + + + = . Any missing place (represented by a zero in the place-value equivalent) is omitted, as in Latin (and English) speech: &numsp;160 = + = &numsp;207 = + = 1,009 = + = 1,066 = + + = The largest number that can be represented in this manner is 3,999 (), but this is sufficient for the values for which Roman numerals are commonly used today, such as year numbers: 1776 = + + + = (the date written on the book held by the Statue of Liberty). 1918 = + + + = (the first year of the Spanish flu pandemic) 1944 = + + + = (erroneous copyright notice of the 1954 movie The Last Time I Saw Paris) = (this year) Prior to the introduction of Arabic numerals in the West, ancient and medieval users of Roman numerals used various means to write larger numbers; see large numbers below. Other forms Forms exist that vary in one way or another from the general standard represented above. Other additive forms While subtractive notation for 4, 40 and 400 (, and ) has been the usual form since Roman times, additive notation to represent these numbers (, and ) continued to be used, including in compound numbers like , , and . The additive forms for 9, 90, and 900 (, , and ) have also been used, although less often. The two conventions could be mixed in the same document or inscription, even in the same numeral. For example, on the numbered gates to the Colosseum, is systematically used instead of , but subtractive notation is used for ; consequently, gate 44 is labelled . Modern clock faces that use Roman numerals still very often use for four o'clock but for nine o'clock, a practice that goes back to very early clocks such as the Wells Cathedral clock of the late 14th century.