def dec_to_str(total):
    """Converts decimals to strings for more natural speech."""
    if total == 0.125:
        return "an eighth"
    elif total == 0.25:
        return "a quarter"
    elif total == 0.5:
        return "a half"
    elif total == 0.75:
        return "three quarters"
    else:
        if total % 1 == 0:
            return str(int(total))
        elif total % 0.5 == 0:
            return "{0:.1f}".format(total)
        else:
            return "{0:.2f}".format(total)