English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
DEALING WITH NUMBERS
My phone number is ~zero eight zero three one zero five six one double zero~ (08031056100) (less acceptable).
My phone number is *o eight o three one o five six one double o* (08031056100) (more acceptable).
The conference was in ~nineteen zero four~ (less acceptable).
The conference was in *nineteen o four* (more acceptable).
One of the functions of letter o, as indicated in all reputable dictionaries, is that it is used in speech to mean zero. Therefore, in telling someone a phone number or in mentioning a year, ‘o’ should be used instead of ‘zero’.
My phone number is ~o8o93454345~ (unacceptable).
My phone number is *08093454345* (acceptable).
The readers should note that ‘zero’ should be used when writing the digits of a phone number or year, but ‘o’ should be used while articulating the same.
GAB
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