After a lengthy holiday break, the Thinking Writer is back. I’ll start with something light.
Aiken from Canada writes:
A silly little question but how would you write out in words a year like “1905”. It’s the “0” of course that’s bugging me.
I would not write it out in words. The number is more concise and clearer to the reader. However, if you have to write it out for some reason, I would spell “0” as “O”.
Also, for those who care about such things, it is not really correct according to almost any stylesheet to spell out a year. The numerals are always preferred.
Puzzled why anyone would write it out except in an obituary or wedding invitation but it’s the year nineteen hundred and five, not “o”, “O”, or “oh”.
And for dialogue? ie. Ennis thinks for a moment, shifts his weight, the saddle groans ” Born ’bout nineteen o five, a reckon”.