Commas in Dates

 

Using commas in dates in the American format requires that we separate the weekday from the month and the date from the year with commas: Saturday, April 30, 1993.

Although this is the most common format for dates, there are exceptions. Join us as we explore the ins and outs of the various commas in dates rules, as well as the commas after date conundrum.
 

How Do You Write a Date with Just the Month and the Year?

When you write dates that include only the month and the year, no commas are necessary:

  • Correct: I met my true love in September 1990.
  • Incorrect: I met my true love in September, 1990.

 

Use of Commas in Dates Including the Month, Date, and Year

When writing dates that include the month, date, and year, use commas after dates but not after months:

  • Correct: We realized we were in love on March 16, 1992.
  • Incorrect: We realized we were in love on March 16 1992.
  • Incorrect: We realized we were in love on March, 16, 1992.

 

Where Are Commas in Dates That Include the Weekday, Date, and Year?

In dates that include the weekday, you follow the same rule as above and add a comma between the weekday and the date:

  • Correct: We began dating on Friday, May 1, 1992.
  • Incorrect: We began dating on Friday May 1, 1992.

 

Commas and Dates at the Beginning of Sentences

So far we’ve dealt exclusively with the use of commas in dates at the end of sentences. When the date appears at the beginning of a sentence, you apply the same rules but include a comma after the year:

  • Correct: April 15, 2018, marks our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
  • Incorrect: April 15, 2018 marks our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

 

Where Are Commas in Dates in the Middle of Sentences?

Dates sometimes crop up in the middle of sentences. The correct commas after date rule is based on what type of date is used in the sentence. If you have the month-date-year format, a comma is always required after the year. If you just have a month and a year or a month and a day, using commas after dates depends on context:

  • Correct: Our wedding in April 1993 was beautiful.
  • Incorrect: Our wedding in April 1993, was beautiful.
  • Correct: Our wedding on April 15, 1993, was beautiful
  • Incorrect: Our wedding on April 15, 1993 was beautiful.
  • Correct: When the honeymoon ended on May 1, we went home.
  • Incorrect: When the honeymoon ended on May 1 we went home.

In that last example, the commas after date rule was actually affected by the rule governing commas after dependent clauses, which you can learn more about here!
 

Do You Use Commas after Dates at the End of Sentences?

With all this talk about using commas and dates, people sometimes get confused and put commas after dates at the end of sentences. This isn’t necessary—all you need is a period.

  • Correct: My wife gave birth to our first child in August 1994.
  • Incorrect: My wife gave birth to our first child in August 1994,.

 

How Do You Write a Date in the “Inverted Style”?

So far, we’ve been discussing commas in dates using the month-date-year format common in American usage. Most of the world uses an inverted style, where the date comes first, followed by the month and year. The date-month-year format also takes a different approach to commas.

While the month-day-year date format is standard in the United States, most countries use a day-month-year format. In fact, only the United States, the Philippines, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Canada, and Belize use a month-day-year format, which can cause confusion when dates are presented numerically. For instance, 3/5/1990 means March 5, 1990, in the United States but May 3, 1990, in Europe.
 

How to Write Inverted Dates: Date, Month, and Year

Inverted dates also do not use commas between dates, months, and years, which can look peculiar to anyone familiar with the American date system:

  • Correct (inverted style): Our second child was born 19 January 1996.
  • Incorrect (inverted style): Our second child was born 19 January, 1996.

 

Inverted Dates and Weekdays

There is one occasion when inverted style dates use commas: when the date includes a weekday. A comma separates the weekday from the rest of the date:

  • Correct (inverted style): I met my wife on Monday, 2 September 1990.
  • Incorrect (inverted style): I met my wife on Monday 2 September 1990.

 

 
 

What about Special Dates?

Special dates may have unique names, such as Christmas and Independence Day. When written as dates, however, these have the same comma usage as ordinary dates.

  • Correct: On July 4, 2018, Americans will celebrate their independence.
  • Correct: My whole family will meet for Christmas on December 25, 2018.
  • Incorrect: We had a terrific party on Independence Day 4, 1997.
  • Incorrect: My whole family will celebrate on Christmas 25, 2018.

 

Using Commas Is Easy with Practice

The proper use of commas in dates isn’t that difficult: there are more complicated comma mistakes lurking in the English language, and you can learn to avoid those here. Just remember that the weekday-month-date-year format has commas between the weekday and month and the date and the year, and you’ll be well on your way to knowing all about commas and dates.
 

Resources

http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/british-versus-american-style.html

https://britishisms.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/european-date-format/

http://grammartips.homestead.com/datecommas.html

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/how-to-formally-write-the-date.html

http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/comma.html#dates

http://grammartips.homestead.com/datecommas.html

http://www.write.com/writing-guides/general-writing/punctuation/mastering-the-art-of-comma-usage/commas-locations-dates-and-titles/

14 thoughts on “Commas in Dates: How Do You Write a Date?

  1. rmcclub says:

    Thanks for stopping by.

    1. Dr. Kenneth C. Wilbur says:

      And if you don’t need to supply the year, just the day of the week and the date? As in “The Red Cross will hold a blood drive on Tuesday, July 17 [COMMA?} at the firehouse on Airport Road.”

  2. Carol Jackson Schillberg says:

    I am proofreading a transcript for a reporter who puts the comma after 2013. I don’t think it is necessary. You opinion, please?

    Correct: This is for data that is from October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.

    Incorrect: This is for data that is from October 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014.

    Thank you.

    1. J Lee says:

      The secind one is correct.

  3. Alan Hickman says:

    How about a sentence ending with “on the twenty-eighth day of August, 2018”? This is from an actual document.

    1. J Lee says:

      The secind one is correct.
      No comma necessary.

  4. Julie Bradley Lewandowski says:

    My boss says that when we write dates in this format, there is ALWAYS a comma after the year. I disagree. In our reports, our date format is (example) 01/01/2018. Is a comma always required? I am going to do it his way, regardless of the answer, because he will get mad if I don’t. I just want to know if I’m right.

  5. Kathy says:

    How do you cite a range of dates in APA fir example: Join us on September 21-23 in Chicago

  6. Andrew says:

    I find it interesting that you use the word “inverted” to describe the style most commonly used elsewhere outside the U.S. The format used here in Europe in chronologically correct. I would call the U.S. style inverted…

    1. George says:

      I know…. Isn’t it awful that US-based English speakers would dare use grammar and punctuation rules common to US English usage, and then have the nerve to make references to different customs from that standpoint? Inverted, indeed!

      What’s next, mandating that we greet everyone with “Merry Christmas” when the rest of the world uses “Happy Christmas” as their holiday greeting?

  7. Lee Min-jung Jennifer says:

    What if inverted style dates come at the beginning of a sentence with the preposition “On”, should we need a comma?

    ex) On 4 July 2018(,/X) we celebrated our independence.

    1. J Lee says:

      I need an answer for this too.

      1. Ashleigh says:

        Yes, but the comma rule here is because you are starting the sentence with an introductory prepositional phrase.

  8. Jim says:

    What if you are just using a month in a sentence? (e.g., The document was updated in May, with additional details …”)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
grammar syntax

Quick Tip: What Is Syntax?

Oct 08, 2011 in Grammar

Trying to figure out syntax? To begin, take a look at this sentence: It was getting dark out, and the ______ ________ ________ decided she'd…

preposition rules

English Grammar 101: Can a Sentence End in a Preposition?

Oct 15, 2011 in Grammar

A preposition is a word that creates a relationship between an object and another word within a sentence. Examples of prepositions include that, which, on,…

hyphenate

English Grammar 101: When to Hyphenate Adjectives

Oct 15, 2011 in Grammar

When to Hyphenate Adjectives Hyphenated adjectives explained! Hyphens are used to connect two words—or compounds—that modify a noun (ex: award-winning actor, brown-eyed girl). While different…

Subscribe to Our Blog

Subscribe via RSS