Dates
- Abbreviations. Do not abbreviate days of the week. Do not abbreviate months of the year when they appear by themselves or with a year (December 2012).
- Be concise and consistent. Include the year only if it is different from the present year (the year in which the publication or correspondence is dated) and always if the ...
- Decades. For decades, use 1960s, 1990s or use '60s, '90s (no apostrophe before the s).
What is the proper way to write a date?
Writing the Date in Full. In formal writing, always write the date in full when it is part of a sentence. This usually involves giving the day of the month, the month, and the year: The meeting will take place on April 21, 2019. Note that the year follows after a comma. You can, however, use a few different formats.
How to write dates correctly in English?
Spell out only the month within formal and semi-formal contexts.
- When identifying an event or occasion, write “on” before a day. If you omit the day, insert “in” before the month or year.
- In British English, you could write “she was born on 8 May 1883” or “she was born on the 8th of May 1883.”
- In American English, try “she was born on May 8, 1883” or “she was born in May 1883.”
How to grammatically write dates?
Use numerals when you see “MM,” “DD,” and “YY” or “YYYY” on a form.
- Use a “0” before single-digit days and months as needed.
- If you’re asked to provide the date as MM/DD/YY you could write 05/12/94.
- If you’re asked for DD-MM-YYYY, this date would be 12-05-1994.
- You may see these letters without any separation on some forms. For DDMMYY, simply enter 120594 unless otherwise noted.
How to read and write dates in English?
Writing Dates in American English. In American English, the month comes before the day, which means you cannot use of and rarely use ordinal numbers (adding st, nd, rd, th). Commas should also be used to separate the day and year, and again the name of the day should come at the beginning. The date should therefore be written:
What is the correct way to write dates?
The international standard recommends writing the date as year, then month, then the day: YYYY-MM-DD. So if both Australians and Americans used this, they would both write the date as 2019-02-03. Writing the date this way avoids confusion by placing the year first.
How do you use dates in a sentence?
When writing a date, a comma is used to separate the day from the month, and the date from the year. July 4, 1776, was an important day in American history. I was born on Sunday, May 12, 1968. But if you're writing the date in day-month-year format, you don't need a comma.
How do you write two dates in a sentence?
I would write it as "August 4–5," because the presentation is taking place on two consecutive days. (Nobody assumes it's a 48-hour presentation.) I would use "and" if the dates are not contiguous: "The concerts will be held on August 4 and 6."
Does January 2021 need a comma?
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.
Which preposition is used for date?
On”“On” is a very particular preposition of time, that is only used with specific days, dates or named days. For instance, you would use “on” to refer to a calendar date, a day of the week, or a special day that can be named by its significance, such as a birthday or anniversary. Let's look at some examples!
Is it 2pm or 2 pm?
In addition, when writing the times 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, etc., it is perfectly acceptable to omit the zeroes and write 1 pm, 2 pm, instead.
How do you use commas with multiple dates?
A comma is used between the day of the month and the year, as in June 1, 2018. If the date precedes a thought, a comma is used after the year as well, as in June 1, 2018, the uprising began. The comma is omitted if only the month and year are in play, such as in June 2018 saw healthy growth.
Where do you put commas in dates and times?
A comma should follow the time range if the sentence continues: “The meeting is scheduled for August 31, 7-9 p.m., and will feature a guest speaker.” A reference to day, date, and time requires commas between each pair of elements: “The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 31, 7-9 p.m.” (And don't precede a time ...
How do you list dates and time?
In traditional American usage, dates are written in the month–day–year order (e.g. June 18, 2022) with a comma before and after the year if it is not at the end of a sentence, and time in 12-hour notation (6:12 am).
Does January 2022 need a comma?
The month and the day of the month of a date make a single unit, so never separate them with a comma (e.g., January 12). Use a comma after the day of the week, the day of the month, and the year (e.g., Friday, February 12, 2021). A comma is not required to indicate just the month and the year (e.g., in November 2015).
Is there a comma after 2022?
When using the month-date-year format, you have to put a comma after the year. For the month and year or month and date format, the comma usage depends on the context. Correct: My vacation in July 2019 was amazing.
Do you use comma between month and year?
If only the month and year are used, do not use commas. Do not use the word "of" between the month and the year. Use: We met in December 2011 (not December of 2011). Appositives and phrases introduced by a comma must always be closed by a comma (or period at the end of a sentence).
What is the format of a date?
The U.S. date format is month-day-year, while the day-month-year format is followed by the UK and other nations. Slashes or hyphens are used to separate the parts of the date. Examples. American: Signed 5-11-21.
How to write the exact date?
To write the exact date, spell out the month, and write the day and the year in numerals. The American format is month-day-year, with a comma between day and year. In British style, which is day-month-year, no comma is needed between month and year.
How to indicate only month and year?
To indicate only month and year, write the month in words and the year in figures. Don’t insert a comma between the two. Example. The war ended in November 1918. To specify the day alone, write it as an ordinal number. Example. Our flight is booked for the eleventh ( or 11th ).
How to indicate date?
Dates. To indicate the date, you may write the exact date or specify just the month, day, or year. Dates are written differently in American and British style. Depending on the text, numerals or words may be used. In formal writing, the date is generally written in full, but it may be abbreviated when needed. Examples.
What are the months in AP style?
The remaining months are not abbreviated. Periods may be omitted in informal usage, if there are space constraints, or in a fixed format, such as a table. The months June and July are also then abbreviated.
How to show day of week?
To show a day of the week alongside a date, write the day followed by a comma, and then write the date. Examples. American: The apocalypse was expected to happen on Saturday, May 21, 2011. British: The conference starts on Monday, 8 August 2022.
When to use commas in a sentence?
Use commas to separate day and year. Don’t use ordinals ( st, nd, rd, th ). Examples. The Declaration of Independence was issued on July 4, 1776. They were married on October 25, 2019, on a beach in the Maldives. On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden became president of the United States.
Writing the date
We write the date in English in different ways. The most common way in British English is to write the day of the month first, then the month (starting with a capital letter) and then the year:
Speaking the date
We ask the date or about dates in several ways. We can add the and of when we reply:
When to use numerals with time of day?
Rule: Some use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized. Example: Her flight leaves at 6:22 a.m. Example: Please arrive by 12:30 p.m. sharp. Rule: It is clearer to use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 p.m. or 12:00 a.m.
Why do you put an apostrophe before the 1970s?
Using the shortened term “the ’70s” requires an apostrophe before the numeral to indicate that numerals have been omitted because this is a contraction of “the 1970s.”. As we state in the post, “… using two apostrophes ( the ’80’s) is awkward and is not recommended.”.
What is the 1st of April?
The 1st of April puts some people on edge. (Some prefer to write it out: The first of April) Rule: There are differing policies for expressing decades using numerals. Some write the 1980s and the ’80s, others write the 1980’s and the 80’s. However, using two apostrophes ( the ’80’s) is awkward and is not recommended.
What was the rule of the 80s?
During the ’80’s, the world’s economy grew. Rule: Some writers spell out the time of day, others prefer numbers. Example: She gets up at four thirty before the baby wakes up. Example: The baby wakes up at 5 o’clock in the morning. Rule: Some use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized.
When does the en dash mean?
The en dash indicates up to and including, or through ): The fair will take place August 31–September 5. Example (using a hyphen in accordance with The Associated Press Stylebook): The fair will take place August 31-September 5. Example (reasonably clear): The fair will take place from August 31 to September 5.
Do you use apostrophes with single capital letters?
December 22, 2017, at 10:45 pm. Yes, our Rule 2 of The Apostrophe with Numbers, Letters, and Abbreviations says, “For clarity, most writers use apostrophes with single capital letters and single-digit numbers.”.
How many days are in a week?
A week can be defined as a specific seven-day period or as any seven consecutive days. A month can be defined as a specific month of the calendar or as any period of 30 consecutive days. A year can be defined as a specific calendar year or fiscal year or as any period of 365 consecutive days.
When does the semester start in 2012?
The semester begins in September 2012. The semester begins Sept. 4. The semester begins Tuesday, Sept. 4. The semester begins Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012. If only the month and year are used, do not use commas. Do not use the word "of" between the month and the year.
What does "last month" mean?
Last has several meanings and its use in reference to time can be confusing. The phrase "during the last month" can mean either "during the previous month" or "during the final month." Previous, past, and final have more specific meanings and should be used in place of last. Similarly, the word next also can be confusing and should be avoided.
Why do we use ordinal numbers in January 2017?
The reason for that is because we tend to write things in the same manner we pronounce or hear them.
What are ordinal and cardinal numbers?
and so on. On the other hand, ordinal numbers are what you use to refer to place numbers such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th… . and so on. Keep in mind that these have different meanings in ...
Do you put a comma in between a month and a year?
One rule to remember is that no commas are needed in between a month and year. For example: “Paula and I met on September 2009.”. But if the day is added, then you would use a comma in between. Example: “Dolores and I saw a movie on July 6, 2016.”.
Do you use ordinal numbers when writing dates?
But the truth is that you don’t need to use ordinal numbers when writing these dates. However, there are a few instances when you can and should use either the ‘th’ or ‘rd’ when writing out dates though. Here are some examples and rules to follow when using dates: We were set to meet each other on November 16.
When to use numerals in a sentence?
If a sentence includes multiple numbers that apply to the same thing or category, and if one of the numbers requires a numeral (10 or greater), use numerals for all the quantities of that category .
How to spell out numbers in a sentence?
2. Spell out numbers used in a casual sense: “I told you a hundred times to stop biting your nails.”.
Do you spell out the decade?
In running text, it is preferable to spell out the decade or use the full numeric decade. Do not use an ’s in numeric decades. the nineties. the 1990s (not 1990’s) 2. Use the abbreviated numeric decade format only in informal copy or in lists where space is limited.
Who is the grammar patrol?
We (Edith Hope Fine and Judith Josephson) are the Grammar Patrol. Both of us taught for years and are now writers, with thirty plus books between us, including our two popular grammar guides, Nitty-Gritty Grammar and More Nitty-Gritty Grammar. For close to twenty years, we taught writing and grammar basics and now we blog about grammar for writers.
Do you use periods in a citation?
Abbreviations are used frequently in parenthetical citations, notes, and bibliographies. Use them as little as possible in the body of your writing. Many abbreviations use periods. Over time, the periods have been dropped from some abbreviations, especially with the names of organizations.
What is the format of the month and year?
While the month-day-year date format is standard in the United States, most countries use a day-month-year format.
Do you put a comma after the year?
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:
Do inverted dates have commas?
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.