Commas and the Year and the Adjective

Margie Wakeman WellsThe Comma 2 Comments

Are there commas around the year when, with the date, it is a direct adjective?

…the May 15, 2012, letter…
…the August 9, 1939, birth date…

The year following the date is always surrounded with a pair of commas.

The reason there is confusion here is the rule that says you don’t put a comma between the adjective and the noun it modifies. That rule says you don’t put a single separating comma between the adjective and the noun it modifies.

This is not a single comma. This is a pair of commas, which you can put anywhere. If you take out the year, both commas go with it.

Happy punctuating!

Margie

Comments 2

  1. I thought I remember you saying at the 2012 FCRA conference in Clearwater that there is an option of not using the comma after the year in a sentence like “He wrote the May 1, 2013 letter.”

    1. Post
      Author

      I would always surround the year without exception. There are people who do not put the comma in your example because it is an adjective. I just don’t think there is a reason to make that exception since you are using a pair of commas around the year.

      Have a great day.

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