The proper punctuation of two similar sentences in a financial statement was a matter of great and vigorous debate for over an hour. Why should we punctuate something that is continuous? We don’t put commas after other words - it seems wrong to write: “I went to the basketball game, at the Veteran’s Hall.”Ī comma, after all, is punctuation.
It seems to me that a date (whether whole or partial) is like any other word: “May 30, 2012”. In that case, is there a comma after the year? That would seem incorrect to me. It seems to me that the only reason we put a comma after the day part of a date is for clarity when we write the date in the English way. One wouldn’t put a comma if ONLY the year was included … or would one? “The meeting is scheduled for 2012 at the Hall.” This wouldn’t look correct with a comma after the year. In several places, particularly around October 2010, you state that when writing a date inside a sentence (with material following it), there should be a comma after the year: “The meeting is scheduled for July 4, 2012, at the Veteran’s Hall.” ( OR by the first of August OR by the 1st of August) Can you get here by midnight? (leave out 12:00)ģ. The last outbreak of smallpox occurred in the late seventies.Ģ. Please deliver the package by August 1st.ġ. The last outbreak of smallpox occurred in the late seventy’s.ģ. Some put a space after the numeral, others do not.Įxample: Please arrive by 12:30 P.M. Rule: It is clearer to use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 p.m. Rule: Some use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized.Įxample: Please arrive by 12:30 p.m.
Rule: Some writers spell out the time of day, others prefer numbers.Įxample: She gets up at four thirty before the baby wakes up.Įxample: The baby wakes up at 5 o’clock in the morning. However, using two apostrophes ( the ’80’s) is awkward and is not recommended.ĭuring the ’80s, the world’s economy grew.ĭuring the 1980s, the world’s economy grew.ĭuring the 1980’s, the world’s economy grew.ĭuring the ’80’s, the world’s economy grew. Some write the 1980s and the ’80s, others write the 1980’s and the 80’s. Rule: There are differing policies for expressing decades using numerals. (Some prefer to write it out: The first of April) The 1st of April puts some people on edge. We have had tricks played on us on April 1. The meeting is scheduled for the 30th of June. Rule: The following examples apply when using dates: Please note: This original post has been updated and replaced by a new version of Writing Dates and Times.
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