Common_Errors_in_English_usage

is singular, is the subject. If you are uncertain about whether to go
with singular or plural condense the sentence down to its skeleton: "The
effect . . . was to make them suspicious."
Another situation that creates confusion is the use of interjections
like "along with," "as well as," and "together with," where they are
often treated improperly as if they meant simply "and." "Aunt Hilda, as
well as her pet dachshund, is coming to the party" (not "are coming").
A compound subject requires a plural verb even if the words which make
it up are themselves singular in form: "widespread mold and mildew
damage [not damages] the resale value of your house."
NUMBERS
If your writing contains numbers, the general rule is to spell out in
letters all the numbers from zero to nine and use numerals for larger
numbers; but there are exceptions. If what you're writing is full of
numbers and you're doing math with them, stick with numerals.
Approximations like "about thirty days ago" and catch­phrases like "his
first thousand days" are spelled out. Large round numbers are often
rendered thus: "50 billion sold." With measurements, use numerals: "4
inches long." Never start a sentence with a numeral. Either spell out
the number involved or rearrange the sentence to move the number to a
later position.
See also "50's."
NUPTUAL/NUPTIAL
"Nuptial" is usually a pretentious substitute for "wedding," but if
you're going to use it, be sure to spell it properly. For the noun, the
plural form "nuptials" is more traditional.
O/zero
When reciting a string of numbers such as your credit card number it is
common and perfectly acceptable to pronounce zero as "oh." But when
dealing with a registration code or other such string of characters
which mixes letters and numbers, it is important to distinguish between
the number 0 and the letter O. In most typefaces a capital O is rounder,
fatter, than a zero; but that is not always the case. What looks
unambiguous when you type it may come out very unclear on the other end
on a computer which renders your message in a different typeface.
In technical contexts, the distinction is often made by using zeros with
slashes through them, but this can create as many problems as it solves:
those unfamiliar with the convention will be confused by it, numbers
using such characters may not sort properly, and slashed zeros created
in some fonts change to normal zeros in other fonts.
If you work for a company that requires registration codes you do a
disservice to your customers and yourself by including either zeros or
O's in your codes where there is any possibility of confusion.