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
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.”
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.