Chicago Manual of Style devotes 16 pages to the correct usage of the comma. I’m sure you’re familiar with its use with coordinate adjectives, transitional adverbs, appositive clauses, and participial phrases. I won’t insult you by repeating that information here. Instead, here are the most common errors in comma usage spotted around the Web.
Omitting a comma after city and state
When writing the name of a city followed by its state, most writers know to include the comma between the two, but often overlook the comma that’s required after the state name. Here’s how to punctuate a city, state combo correctly:
He knew he was washed up in Bath, Maine, when his show was scrubbed.
Show me the St. Louis, Missouri, map.
Omitting a comma after city and country
When writing a city name followed by the country, separate them with a comma, like this:
He got plastered in Paris, France, and broiled in London, England, last week
Omitting a comma after a month-day-year date
A complete date (consisting of a month, day, and year) requires a comma after the day and after the year.
She left the bank in Paris on July 1, 2008, for a job in Teller, Alaska.
Remember: If there’s a comma before the year, put a comma after the year.
Including a comma between a month and year
If you’re writing just a month and year (without a day), don’t separate them with a comma. And don’t include a comma after the year.
Her daughter April may return in June 2009 for the reunion.
Placing a comma outside quotation marks
Put a comma that follows a closing quotation mark inside the quote (in other words, before the ending quotation mark).
Her favorite movies are “First Wives Club,” “The Second Time Around,” and “The Last King of Scotland.”
In the U.S., commas and periods go inside the quotation marks. That’s the American way.
Terribly Write 
January 25, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Do you put a comma after the day, such as…..
Monday, January 25, 2009
thank you!
October 27, 2012 at 10:58 pm
ofcourse
August 28, 2013 at 3:52 pm
Don’t be such a jerk.
October 27, 2013 at 10:34 am
HEY, Calm Down sir……
January 25, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Mary,
You should put a comma between the name of the day and the date, just like your example.
February 24, 2009 at 1:01 pm
What about referencing dates in contracts, etc. Should it be (a) this 24th day of February, 2009
(b) this 24th day of February 2009
June 4, 2013 at 1:17 pm
Top 5 Comma errors says this: “If you’re writing just a month and year (without a day), don’t separate them with a comma. And don’t include a comma after the year. Her daughter April may return in June 2009 for the reunion.”
Therefore (b) is correct.
August 29, 2019 at 6:59 am
It is incorrect grammar to place a comma after the month and year? EX.: Her daughter April may return in June 2009, for the reunion
February 24, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Mark,
I’m no legal expert (I don’t even play one on TV), but I can’t see a difference between a comma and no comma after the month, though if you place one after the month, then you’d need one after the year, too.
August 26, 2011 at 10:07 am
Laura,
In your examples above, (b) is correct. One date format is 24 February 2009. In your example, in which you “spell out the date,” you would also not include the comma between the name of the month and the year.
February 17, 2012 at 9:48 am
you can use a comma after the month. you’re incorrect.
April 25, 2012 at 7:16 pm
ur correct she’s not
yeah buddy
May 6, 2009 at 4:12 am
What if the month and the day are used without the year?
For example:
The meeting will be held on March 13 at the convention center.
May 6, 2009 at 8:59 am
Hi, Amy!
There’s no need for a comma in the situation you mention. Your example is correct as is!
May 7, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Do you put a comma after just the year at the beginning of a sentence? For example: In 1864, 234…
May 7, 2009 at 8:05 pm
It used to be a rule that a prepositional phrase (such as a phrase starting with “in”) at the beginning of a sentence should be followed by a comma. But over the last several decades, the trend has been to use fewer punctuation marks and the comma is no longer required after a brief prepositional phrase. However, you should use a comma if it helps avoid confusion or ambiguity. In your example, since the year is followed immediately by a number, I’d recommend a comma to help the reader discern the two numbers. But it wouldn’t be necessary in this sentence:
In 1864 Lincoln was re-elected.
August 19, 2009 at 7:23 am
Laura,
I know that it IS a rule, but WHY do we need to have a comma after a city/state pairing, as in: “Jon lives in Chicago, Illinois, and will never leave.”
I would think that could be written as “Jon lives in Chicago, Illinois and will never leave.”
Normally, I wouldn’t think it was needed, grammatically. What is the specific rule that requires that extra comma?
July 24, 2014 at 8:23 am
Because the state name is an non-restrictive appositive. See CMOS 6.23.
February 28, 2015 at 9:41 am
Does a comma go after a state when it’s abbreviated and paired with a city
March 1, 2015 at 11:34 am
Yes.
November 7, 2015 at 8:54 am
how about a comma after an abbreviated state that uses the postal abbreviation?
August 19, 2009 at 8:19 am
Most authorities on writing, including the “Chicago Manual of Style” and the “AP Stylebook” (which is the standard Yahoo! uses) require a comma after a city/state pair (unless the state is the last word in a sentence). Both style guides treat the state as a parenthetical that should be set off with commas.
October 3, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Are you sure you need a comma after the state if the city/state is modifying a noun? Take the example above:
“Show me the St. Louis, Missouri, map”
That sounds rather clumsy. For example, these make more sense to me:
“The Portland, Oregon monument was restored”
“65-year-old Dallas, Texas resident Bill Jones was arrested Friday”
I have no problem with commas injecting the state as its own parenthetical when its followed by a connecting word, but it seems rather clumsy to break apart the sentence with the second comma in the situation which I describe.
February 25, 2011 at 6:38 am
Think of it this way: the commas set off the state, because the state is merely a detail about the city. There is more than one Portland in the world, so adding Oregon simply identifies that particular Portland. People think there should only be one comma because that’s how they address envelopes, which is different from writing grammatically correct sentences.
April 19, 2011 at 12:27 pm
It would seem like you have the same issue when a date modifies a noun. For example:
The February 19, 2011 contract. or
The February 19, 2011, contract.
October 12, 2021 at 9:17 am
The USPS, actually, prefers NOT to use commas in addresses. For example, “New York NY 10011”.
October 7, 2009 at 12:53 pm
In the date of a letter when only typing the month and the year, does a comma go between them? Example:
October, 2009
Mr. Joe Schmo
123 Any Street
Any town, USA….
October 7, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Barb,
There’s no need for the comma in the circumstance you mention. However, if you feel it is easier to read with a comma, it would be OK and no one would complain — not even me!
November 8, 2012 at 11:26 am
Is a comma required after a complete date when followed by a conjunction?
For example, I was born on January 1, 1990, and my wife was born on February 1, 1990.
The rule posted on the website states,
A complete date (consisting of a month, day, and year) requires a comma after the day and after the year.
She left the bank in Paris on July 1, 2008, for a job in Teller, Alaska.
Remember: If there’s a comma before the year, put a comma after the year.
November 8, 2012 at 4:41 pm
It doesn’t matter what part of speech follows the date. The rule applies.
May 31, 2019 at 11:05 pm
I think that “I was born on January 1, 1990, and my wife was born etc. suggests that “1990” is not essential to understand what is being said. So there are two possibilities:
What is important is that the date of birth was January 1
What is important is that the date of birth was January 1 1990
So I think one should punctuate based on the intended meaning of the sentence.
October 23, 2009 at 8:52 pm
I agree with Eric. I don’t believe there needs to be a comma after Missouri in the example above. It seems awkward to place a comma before a noun that way. The words “St. Louis, Missouri” seem to be modifiers of the noun map in that sentence, and a comma would not normally be placed between a noun/adjective.
April 13, 2012 at 11:38 am
“St Louis” modifies the map – it’s a “St Louis map.” As Dwight said above, however, “Missouri” modifies “St Louis” – it specifies which St Louis is meant. So the comma after Missouri is indeed required.
October 26, 2009 at 9:05 am
On 10/24/2009, I was married. Does there need to be a comma after the date since it is not in the form of October 24, 2009?
November 20, 2009 at 7:10 am
On the 14th of November 2009, the house was dedicated. Should there be a comma after 2009?
December 31, 2009 at 9:26 am
If the date is given without the month spelled out (for example, 12/29/2009), should there be a comma after it in a sentence?
December 31, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Debbie, the rules about dates and commas apply only when you’ve written out the month, not when you write a date as numbers. So, no, you generally don’t need a comma after 12/29/2009, unless the date appears in a sentence (like this one) where a comma normally goes.
January 7, 2010 at 9:25 am
Are there any city names with commas as a natural part of the city name? As a similar, but more common, example of embedded punctuation, Hastings-on-Hudson (NY) includes hyphens as part of its natural spelling. I’m thinking of the absurdity of an embedded comma forcing use of a semi-colon between whatever state and country elements follow.
January 7, 2010 at 9:34 am
Andy, I don’t know of any place name that includes a comma.
January 23, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Very appropriate!
January 29, 2010 at 2:13 am
Hello.. I want to subscribe to your blog but I cannot find your rss link, please help. Thanks. – Jen
February 13, 2010 at 2:31 pm
As a websitedisigner I can say that your post was pretty interesting.Thanks for the info.
March 10, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Stumbled into this site by chance but I’m sure glad I clicked on that link. You definitely answered all the questions I’ve been dying to answer for some time now. Will definitely come back for more of this. Thank you so much
March 18, 2010 at 8:58 am
Hi Laura,
This is an excellent collection of tips. I was wondering if the use of commas is correct in the following sentence:
Our club meets every third Wednesday of each month, January through December, except public holidays.
Thanks.
March 18, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Yes, the commas are correct, although you might consider if you need to include “January through December” since it’s implied by “each month.”
October 12, 2021 at 9:30 am
Including the full range confirms that no month is skipped for any reason, other than when a public holiday happens to fall on that particular third Wednesday.
March 19, 2010 at 6:33 am
This is going to sound really stupid but when you are describing a group of things, do you need a comma after the number?
e.g.
There were two large horses outside my house.
OR
There were two, large horses outside my house.
I’ve been wondering that for years!
March 19, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Thomas, I can’t think of any time when a comma would be correct after a number, unless that number is a date.
April 9, 2010 at 12:52 pm
I remember the commas between city and state, and also after state in a sentence, but this example confuses me because of the apostrophe after the state! “Please stop by Columbus, Ohio’s, newest furniture store.” Is this correct?
April 9, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Lisa,
I initially thought that the comma after “Ohio’s” was unnecessary, but removing it leads to ambiguity. (It could be read as if the store name was Columbus and it was Ohio’s newest furniture store.) My advice would be to recast the sentence, removing “Ohio’s” since it’s unnecessary in that specific example. Or: Please stop by the newest furniture store in Columbus, Ohio.
April 23, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I was just searching around the web to see if anyone else was complaining about Microsoft’s annoying misuse of the comma in its Vista operating system. The calendar places a comma between the month and year in the title of each calendar page (e.g., April, 2010). What’s worse is that I’m now seeing more and more web sites with embedded calendar functions displaying the comma (likely due to inheriting from the underlying OS, rather than bad coding). Nice little write-up, BTW. Also good that you noted the “American way” for quotation marks. Funny how the British rules look so wrong to me (as ours look equally wrong to them).
April 23, 2010 at 2:06 pm
One more reason to avoid Vista!
May 10, 2010 at 12:08 pm
I’ve been researching this but can’t find an example of this exact case in any of the grammer books I’ve checked. In this sentence, is it correct to put a comma after the date? Registration will begin Tuesday, June 1, in the Meeting Room.
May 10, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Yes, the comma is correct after the date.
May 11, 2010 at 10:22 am
Thank You For This Blog, was added to my bookmarks.
June 1, 2010 at 9:21 am
“The document dated January 1, 2010, (Document No. 2422), was not legible.”
if you use parentheses after the date for an additional parenthetical, do you still have the comma after the year?
June 3, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Thank you! My question exactly!
June 1, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I don’t think the commas after the year and the right parenthesis are necessary.
June 30, 2010 at 12:47 am
Can I add a comma after 6 p.m.,
November 2, 2016 at 6:56 am
You can add a comma any time of day that you like! 🙂
July 15, 2010 at 8:26 am
Should there be a comma if the date is written as
August 7th, 2010?
July 15, 2010 at 9:55 am
Paige, though I don’t think the “th” is necessary in that date, you’ll still need a comma after the year.
July 15, 2010 at 10:05 am
I am having this date printed on Koozie’s that I will be passing out to gues at my wedding so the only thing on the Koozie will be the date. My new question to you is…
do I have them printed August 7th, 2010 or August 7, 2010?
Thanks,
Paige
July 15, 2010 at 10:42 am
Paige, thanks for the clarification. Either way works, but I have a preference for August 7, 2010. And congrats!
July 22, 2010 at 5:56 am
When putting an address down where does the comma go after the city or after the state?
July 22, 2010 at 7:37 am
Ashlynn,
Where are you “putting an address down”? If the city-state combination appears within a sentence, you need a comma after the city and after the state (unless there’s another punctuation mark that goes there, like a period). Always separate a city and state with a comma.
July 28, 2010 at 5:34 am
Most Americans have a sedentary-type lifestyle. Should there be a hyphen?
July 28, 2010 at 7:28 am
Debbie,
Yes, there should be a hyphen. But I have to ask: Do you need to include “type”? Couldn’t you just call it a “sedentary lifestyle”?
July 29, 2010 at 11:50 am
Hi Laura,
Great tips! Thank you for posting these.
Two questions on your last post:
But I have to ask: Do you need to include “type”? Couldn’t you just call it a “sedentary lifestyle”?
1. Shouldn’t the “do” be lower case?
Also I never understand why ‘”sedentary lifestyle.”‘ would have the period inside the quotes, but ‘”sedentary lifestyle”?’ would have the question-mark outside. British usage is much more logical.
2. Can you please editorialize about this?
3. Did I quote the quotes properly?
Thank you,
NS
July 29, 2010 at 12:41 pm
NS,
Great questions! I’ll try to answer them.
1. I capitalized the “do” because I try to follow the Associated Press style (though sometimes I err). According to AP, the word following the colon is capitalized if it starts a complete sentence.
According to U.S. style, the period goes inside quotation marks. The question mark goes inside the quotation marks only if it is part of the quoted matter. In this case, it’s not. The entire sentence is a question, so it applies to the whole sentence, and not to “sedentary lifestyle,” so it goes after the closing quotation mark.
2. I’m not sure what you mean by “editorialize” in this case. Do you have a more specific question?
3. You quoted the quotes nearly perfectly. You just don’t need the period following “lifestyle” in your first question.
March 11, 2016 at 11:56 am
Another answer to question number 1: Always capitalize a question that follows a colon. I say this because some people will argue that anything that follows a colon (except for proper nouns and QUESTIONS) should be lower case. I’m with you, though: If it’s a complete sentence and it follows a colon, capitalize the first letter of the first word. If you don’t, you is stoopid. Naw, I kid, I kid.
March 11, 2016 at 5:00 pm
Many style guides (including the one I follow) state that if the text following a colon is a complete sentence (including a question), then capitalize the first word after the colon.
July 31, 2010 at 4:20 am
Which one is correct,
Thanks, Laura
Or
Thanks Laura?
With comma or none? 🙂
Thanks 🙂
July 31, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Hi, khee!
If you want to be absolutely correct, you’d separate “thanks” and “Laura” with a comma. This is a case of what’s called “direct address,” and the rule is to separate the person being addressed from the rest of the sentence with a comma or commas, like these examples:
Thanks, khee, for your question.
Khee, thanks for your question.
Thanks for your question, khee.
August 4, 2010 at 10:17 am
Would you always put a comma after the M/D/Y? For example, here’s 2 sentences I’ve always questioned the comma usage in:
I received the June 11, 2010 letter referencing the issues.
OR
I attended the June 11, 2010 meeting and all agreed, it was a successful one.
And finally, is there always a comma before the last “and” in a sequence of listed items, i.e., “She took a cab to the mall, the hairdresser, the grocery store and back home.
August 16, 2011 at 6:18 am
how to write ……
2nd august’11
August 16, 2011 at 6:22 am
is it correct
August 16, 2010 at 11:48 am
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August 17, 2010 at 11:37 am
when addressing an envelope. . . is it ok to omit the comma?
i.e., Chicago Ill 60633
or Chicago, Ill 60633
Please advise.
June 10, 2011 at 1:03 pm
Don’t omit and Illinois is abbreviated IL
August 17, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Lynn, you don’t need the comma after the state abbreviation on an envelope.
August 24, 2010 at 9:02 am
Does this format look right? Wednesday, September 1st at 5:30. Or do I need another comma btwen September 1st and 5:30?
August 24, 2010 at 9:35 am
Julie, you don’t need a comma after “1st” if you include the word “at” after it.
September 7, 2010 at 9:03 am
Who do I contact about buying some ad space on this site? Maybe like a banner on either the header or footer. Please let me know. Great site by the way. Thanks!
September 10, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Would I use a comma in the following?
…this week’s meeting…
Thanks for your help!
September 10, 2010 at 2:20 pm
IP Camera,
Terribly Write does not sell ad space.
September 10, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Lorie,
I have no idea where or why you would need a comma in something so brief and apparently incomplete.
September 10, 2010 at 3:46 pm
I was cutting it short. The sentence would be “Please join us at next week’s meeting for breakfast and a meet and greet with Dr. Miller.” Would I use the comma in week’s? Thanks!
September 10, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Lorie,
Thanks for the clarification. Could you possibly mean: “Would I use an apostrophe in week’s?”
If that’s your question, then yes, the apostrophe is required in week’s.
September 20, 2010 at 7:43 am
Hi, nice to meet you.
Can I add a coma after P.M. or A.M.?
Here is the dialogue:
“The ships… starting at 11:13 P.M.” Paco recalled.
September 20, 2010 at 10:13 am
Also, can I put a coma after the …?
“I was unconscious, I don’t know…,” Pelias remarked.
September 27, 2010 at 10:40 am
Excellent piece of writing, l quite agree with your submission. I will subscribe to your rss to keep up.
October 8, 2010 at 10:25 am
I’m seeing some errors above in some of the comments. You never write September 1st at 5:30 or August 7th, 2010, even though you hear it that way. The only time you use the ordinal (th, rd, etc.) is if you are saying the 1st day of September or the 7th day of August; otherwise, it is Wednesday, September 1 at 5:30 or August 7, 2010.
October 15, 2010 at 5:31 am
I’m confused when it comes to more than one date. Which is correct?
The committee met several times between August 1, 2010, and August 12, 2010.
The committee met several times between August 1, 2010 and August 12, 2010. Thank you.
October 17, 2010 at 4:56 pm
[…] The original source of this list of comma errors and many more fantastic grammar tips can be found on TerriblyWrite.com […]
November 5, 2010 at 4:01 am
I have some questions about commas in English… maybe you can help me.
Since 1 July, a new law has governed …
Since 1(st) July ?? Do I need the (st)? And do I need a comma after the date?
Another question:
In Germany, there are lots of … do I need a comma after countries like in this example?
Another question:
Do I need a comma here?
What will be(,) if I am unable to make decisions for myself because of an accident?
Thanks a lot for your help!
November 11, 2010 at 10:23 am
In Chicago style, do you put a comma after “See” in the footnotes? Thank you.
November 14, 2010 at 9:23 am
love it!
November 17, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Should you place a comma after the 2nd month in the heading of a newsletter that includes two abbreviated months and the year?
Which example would be correct or is either one acceptable?
DeputyGram
Nov./Dec., 2010
or
DeputyGram
Nov.Dec. 2010
November 17, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Deb,
I think “Nov./Dec. 2010” is the easist to understand.
November 19, 2010 at 8:08 am
Do you need a comma for:
December 3rd 2010?
I know it would be correct to write December 3, 2010…
Thanks!
November 21, 2010 at 10:54 am
Maria: Yes, I think a comma is necessary in that form of the date.
November 21, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Thanks Laura. I looked it up in the Chicago MS…and couldn’t find it listed. It seems use of the “3rd” is British and it generally comes before: 3rd December, 2010…well, at least it is obscure enough that no one is likely to notice!!!
July 23, 2011 at 5:47 am
British English would be written and spoken as
the 3rd of December, 2010…
not
3rd December, 2010
April 13, 2012 at 11:46 am
Disagree – I’ve seen “3rd December” hundreds of times in print, but never “the 3rd of December” (unless used as a quote, in which case it would be “the third…”).
April 13, 2012 at 3:49 pm
Here’s what Grammar Girl has to say on this subject: “The instance where it is OK to use an ordinal number is when you are writing the 1st of January, because you are placing the day in a series: of all the days in January, this day is the first. For example, your invitations could say, “Please join us for a party on the first of January.” In that case, it’s correct to use the ordinal number first.”
Jane Watson, an authority on business writing states: In legal documents and formal invitations, dates are written more formally.
Examples (all are acceptable)
November twentieth
The twentieth of November
The twentieth day of November”
November 28, 2010 at 12:21 pm
This is a fine resource. Thank you.
Question: Is there a comma following the state and before the country?
i.e. Name, City, State(,?) USA
November 28, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Unless you’re addressing an envelope, you should separate the state and country with a comma.
December 2, 2010 at 8:31 am
Do you put a comma after a county and state when it’s used as a subject title such as, “NCS Hinds County MS Study Location?”
February 25, 2011 at 5:45 am
Thanks for these tips!
March 1, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Thanks for these tips. They’re great and easy to understand!!!
March 8, 2011 at 12:16 pm
I LOVE your website!!!!!!!
I have scoured your site for this question, but I think it is the first of it’s kind.
In the following address, do I leave in the period behind the abbreviation for boulevard?
1111 Main Blvd., Columbus, Ohio 44444
Thanks!
March 8, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Jennifer,
I’m happy to hear you like Terribly Write. Welcome!
In your example, you should keep the period to denote the abbreviation for boulevard.
March 11, 2011 at 3:22 pm
I’ve been visiting your blog for a while now and I always find a gem in your new posts. Thanks for sharing.
March 16, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Thanks for these rules. I really enjoy your blog, especially your comments about those awful writers at yahoo.
March 16, 2011 at 6:29 pm
A student writes: Wednesday January 26 from noon until one in the Student Center room 102.
I believe it should read: Wednesday, January 26, from noon until one, in the Student Center, Room 102.
Have I placed commas correctly? Should she write, 1:00 p.m., instead of one?
March 16, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Commas look OK. And, yes, you should use 1:00 p.m. because that’s how a time is written and it’s much, much easier to read and identify as a time.
March 16, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Is this sentence correct.
The celebration should be better than the one two years ago.
March 16, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Looks good to me. I can hardly wait.
January 30, 2012 at 1:39 pm
I can’t hardly wait. (not “I can hardly wait”).
January 30, 2012 at 2:07 pm
Sorry, but “can’t hardly wait” is grammatically incorrect because the adverb hardly is considered a negative and as we all know, double negatives are considered incorrect. Here’s what the American Heritage Dictionary says: “In Standard English, hardly, scarcely, and similar adverbs cannot be used with a negative. The sentence ‘I couldn’t hardly see him,’ for instance, is not acceptable.”
March 17, 2011 at 10:59 am
What if the date is a part of a large parenthetical phrase? Do you still put a comma after the year?
For example:
In this picture from the June 6, 1870 issue of Harper’s Weekly, people crowd into……
March 17, 2011 at 7:54 pm
The date is part of a prepositional phrase, which is not relevant to the use of a comma. You still need the comma after the year.
April 4, 2011 at 7:14 am
Hi. I am visiting your site again to see more of your updated posts. I think it is so good, that I’ve gone ahead and linked to your site (dofollow) from here: http://reviewedcentre.com/websites-that-i-like/
June 8, 2011 at 10:22 am
On an event poster, should a comma be included after the year? I say yes, but the printer says the trend is not to include it. For example,
“June 19, 2011, at 10 AM” or should it be “June 19, 2011 at 10 AM”?
Thank you.
June 8, 2011 at 11:19 am
On a poster, I don’t think there’s any chance for confusion if you omit the comma. And it looks cleaner, so I’d agree with the printer in this instance.
August 1, 2011 at 2:41 pm
What about when the date modifies the noun?
I’ve seen this question asked several times in the comments but never answered.
“I left the June 7, 2010 letter on my desk.”
OR
“I left the June 7, 2010, letter on my desk.”
Thanks.
August 1, 2011 at 8:15 pm
The comma is still required in that case.
August 17, 2011 at 6:53 am
Do you use a comma after the year (January 1, 2011) in this sentence?
I am on vacation from January 1, 2011 through January 31, 2011.
August 17, 2011 at 7:03 am
Yes, you need that comma after “2011” although I would suggest you don’t need the first “2011.”
March 9, 2012 at 10:00 am
Hello Laura. Thank you for considering my question.
Would this be appropriate?
“There were multiple meetings between October 19, 2010, and August 10, 2011, and….”
August 22, 2011 at 6:55 pm
I really liked the article, and the very cool blog
August 23, 2011 at 10:54 am
I could use a hand with an issue I am experiencing. I am creating a poster for my job and I need to include a date. I am limited on space and have abbreviated the date to Wed., Sept. 7, 2011.
Do I need the period after Wed? I had this same info worked up into a newspaper ad and the graphic designer went with no period, but I thought one should be there.
Lots of great info here!
Thanks.
August 23, 2011 at 10:57 am
Karin, if there’s room for the period, I’d recommend including it.
August 23, 2011 at 11:38 am
Wow! You are fast. Thanks much. I will leave the period where it is. I have added this to my faves – I love this stuff! 🙂
August 26, 2011 at 10:52 am
Hi Laura,
Great blog!
Would there be a comma after the day of the month when a time is also included?
For example: The meeting will be on Monday, August 26, at 10:30 a.m.
Or: The meeting will be on Monday, August 26 at 10:30 a.m.
Thanks!
P.S. I’m going to tweet about you. You’re fantastic!
August 30, 2011 at 1:52 pm
There’s no need for the comma after the “26” in your example.
August 30, 2011 at 9:00 am
Hi Laura,
I think I must be the only one, but when I compose an email message, this is how I do:
Leslie –
Will you please call me?
Thank you.
However, most people would have a comma after Leslie, like this:
Leslie,
Will you please call me?
Thank you.
So, my question is, do you put a dash or a comma when you compose an email?
Thank you Laura!
August 30, 2011 at 1:51 pm
What you call a “dash” actually looks like a hyphen. Should you use one in email? That depends. If you want to look more professional, then use a comma. If you’re dashing off an email to a close friend, I don’t think it matters if you use a comma, dash, or hyphen.
August 31, 2011 at 12:44 pm
In this discussion I have seen different answers to the question about whether a comma is needed after the date in a sentence like the following:
The meeting was held on Monday, August 29, at 5 p.m.
The meeting was held on Monday, August 29, at the police station.
Can someone give a definitive answer?
Thank you!!
September 10, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Laura, what a popular topic this is! So many of us are confused about commas. I hope you will kindly answer my questions, too.
Why is there a comma in the following sentence, and does it really need one?
Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony until 1898, when it was ceded to the United States.
Is it because “when it was ceded to the United States” is a nonrestrictive clause?
September 10, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Hey, Shelley! Thanks for the question. The clause starting with “when it…” is a dependent adverbial clause. It’s also a nonrestrictive clause and nonrestrictive clauses are set off by comma(s).
January 4, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Laura, please help! MS corrects me every time I use “when” before a D/M/Y date with a comma, such as:
…when on October 23, 1956, the student gan to march.
Thanks!
Shari
October 10, 2011 at 5:10 am
When writing a sentence with the words “such as” or “for example”. Do I use the comma before or after these words.
October 10, 2011 at 9:12 am
It really depends on the placement of those phrases and the words they introduce. Phrases such as “such as” don’t always require a comma. Sorry that I can’t give you a definitive answer.
October 18, 2011 at 3:15 pm
I read all the posts, and searched style guides, but my situation is still not clear. If I’m writing the date with a time, and don’t want to use “at”, is there a comma needed. In my case, it will be used as a subtitle for a novel’s chapter.
Is it correct to write:
September 8, 2010, 7:00 A.M.
October 18, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Michele, I’ve searched my reference books and style guides, hoping to find an answer to your question. The closest I could find is from the Chicago Manual of Style, which suggests a hyphen between a date and the time, but the example it shows uses all numerals for the date. Frankly, I don’t think there is a standard. And if this is for the subtitle of a book, I fell you’re free to do whatever you think is right for the book. (Think about all the books that now use all lowercase letters for titles and subtitles; a writer has that kind of freedom nowadays.) So, I think you should use any punctuation you want, as long as it won”t confuse your readers. Personally, I think a comma is a good choice.
October 25, 2011 at 10:39 am
Hi! I’ve been combing the internet trying to conclude if the “city, state” rule can also appy to a body of water?
For instance: Is it proper to write “Lake McConaughy, Nebraska” if referring to a lake not a city?
Thank you!
October 25, 2011 at 1:57 pm
Kaitlin, I’d hestitate to use “Lake McConaugy, Nebraska” because it is not clear if you’re referring to a town or a body of water. Think about Lake Worth, Florida, which is a city in Florida. I’d recommend recasting the sentence as “Nebraska’s Lake McConaughy” or perhaps “Lake McConaughy in Nebraska.” Otherwise, it’s not clear to your reader you’re referring to a lake and not a town or city.
November 1, 2011 at 8:55 am
Is the following sentence correct or incorrect when using a comma between years in the parentheses below? I think the comma should be removed and use the word “and” (2009 and 2010).
The 2009 and 2010 Mathematics Institute provided instructional guidance to division leaders and teachers in the implementation of the 2009 Mathematics field tests (2009, 2010).
November 1, 2011 at 9:01 am
Doris, I really don’t know because I have no idea what those years refer to; maybe your readers do, but I don’t. They seem to repeat the beginning of the sentence, which mentions “2009 and 2010.”
November 1, 2011 at 10:33 am
Hello! I just stumbled across this site and it’s fantastic! If you have the time, here is my question: Do I need to use a comma after the word “Sunday” when writting on an invitation “Sunday the Nineteenth of February”?
November 1, 2011 at 10:52 am
It looks like you’re writing a formal invitation, such as one to a wedding. I’ve consulted several wedding etiquette sites about the proper wording and punctuation of the date, and all agree that you need a comma after “Sunday.”
November 2, 2011 at 11:21 am
While I get your point about commas inside quotation marks, I don’t think commas should be used for movie titles. Shouldn’t they be italicized?
November 2, 2011 at 12:12 pm
I think the treatment of titles (whether they’re book, movies, TV show, music titles) is a matter of house style. Some style guides recommend italicizing titles; others recommend quotation marks. The Associated Press, for example, recommends quotation marks, which I also use. Yahoo! doesn’t seem to have a standard for the treatment of titles; writers seem to be free to use italics, quotation marks, or nothing at all.
April 2, 2013 at 6:11 pm
Actually, italics or underlining is correct for movie titles, book titles, newspaper titles and the like. Quotation marks are appropriate for articles, chapters, and so on. 🙂
April 2, 2013 at 8:22 pm
JZ, it is a matter of house style, as I stated. Most legitimate news sources follow Associated Press style. And in the digital world, the use of italics and underlining is generally eschewed because it creates titles that are more difficult to read on a screen. I prefer AP style; but many publishers of books follow the Chicago Manual of Style.
November 21, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Is a comma needed after the title when the titile and staff name are written in this order? Example: Planning Manager, Stan Smith or Planning Manager Stan Smith
Which is correct?
November 23, 2011 at 9:38 am
What about a series of dates?
Discount valid for the Tuesday February 14 , Wednesday February 15, and Thursday February 16 evening performances ONLY.
or
Discount valid for the Tuesday, February 14 , Wednesday, February 15, and Thursday, February 16 evening performances ONLY.
December 8, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Do you put a comma after with love follow by names on the same line
December 9, 2011 at 9:30 am
Yes, you should put a comma after “with love.”
December 22, 2011 at 3:45 pm
In this sentence, where would you put the comma (besides the “17, 20…”):
On December 17, 2011 at 8:30 A.M. Kim Jong Il passed away.
December 23, 2011 at 5:44 am
Hi, I’m Laura!
January 3, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Hi, I am printing T-shirts. My customer wants to add a business name with the city and state at the bottom of the T-shirt. I don’t know how to cite the city, followed by the state abbreviation.
I think it should be like this:
OKLAHOMA STEEL & WIRE MADILL, OK
I don’t know if I should add a period at the end of “OK” or not. I also know if WIRE should have a comma separating it from MADILL.
January 3, 2012 at 6:40 pm
It’s a little hard to answer your questions without knowing a bit more. Is all the text on the same line? If so, you definitely need to separate the company name from the city and state. I’d go for something easier to discern than a comma or period. How about a hyphen or other character. You need the comma between Madill and OK, but you don’t need a period after OK — I think we all know that it’s an abbreviation for Oklahoma. If possible, I’d recommend putting the company name on one line and the city/state below it.
January 5, 2012 at 8:35 am
Sometimes I have to quote exact text or identifiers such as passwords. I try to rearrange sentences to avoid adding my own commas and periods within quotes, but that doesn’t always work and I place them outside quotes. Other times I add line breaks and list each quoted item on its own line (an obvious list). Do you have another suggestion?
January 13, 2012 at 9:48 am
What about this sentence? “Friday, December 7, 2011, marked the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.” The comma after the year just looks…strange, I guess. Are you *sure* that’s correct?
Thanks,
S.
January 13, 2012 at 10:33 am
Your example of the commas is correct. I’ve checked with several sources, and they all agree that the commas are necessary.
March 28, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Everyone is telling me I am wrong for putting a comma after the year – I know I was taught this – Im so frustrated LOL
March 28, 2012 at 7:13 pm
Heather, don’t get frustrated! The correct use of punctuation eludes a lot of people these days. If it makes you feel better, here’s what Wikipedia says about commas and dates:
When a date is written as a month followed by a day followed by a year, a comma separates the day from the year: December 19, 1941. This style is common in American English. The comma is necessary because of the otherwise confusing consecutive numbers, compare December 19 1941. Additionally, most style manuals, including The Chicago Manual of Style[9] and the AP Stylebook,[10] recommend that the year be treated as a parenthetical, requiring a second comma after it: “Feb. 14, 1987, was the target date.”
January 16, 2012 at 12:03 am
ex is this the right way to put the commas “in ,January, is …….
January 16, 2012 at 11:48 am
I can’t imagine a situation where a comma between “in” and “January” would be correct. And I can’t tell from this small sample if the comma after “January” is needed.
January 17, 2012 at 2:45 pm
I like red,pink, and blue shoes. Does that appear correct?
January 17, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Yes — if you put a space after the first comma.
January 19, 2012 at 2:08 pm
Hi!
Wonderful help to be found here!
So I will try as well :o)
We live outside the US, our son’s English teaching is based on US English.
We have noted that he is told to write the date like this Wednesday January 17th, 2012 is this really correct? We commonly writes it like this Wednesday, January 17, 2012 with two comma’s and not ordinal. Also in British English we believe the way is wrong – or?
Steen
January 24, 2012 at 3:44 am
Anyone can help os?
January 24, 2012 at 8:26 am
Steen, I’m so sorry I was unable to answer you question sooner. The correct way (in the U.S.) to punctuate the date is:
Wednesday, January 17, 2012
as you suggest. The use of “17th” in a date appears more frequently now in writing, but is considered incorrect except in informal cases, such as in a poster advertising an event. But elsewhere, it should not be used.
January 24, 2012 at 8:37 am
Laura! No worries and sorry for pushing!
So we can tell to the school what they teach is not correct!?
He writes this each day on top of his home work:
Today is Wednesday January 17th, 2012
Don Bosco School
But it should be:
Today is Wednesday, January 17, 2012
Don Bosco School
Cheers Steen
January 24, 2012 at 10:17 am
I woulld advise you to approach the teacher with caution. Teachers can be very sensitive and defensive if told they have made a mistake or are teaching something that is incorrect. I think you should ask why the teacher has chosen that form for the date first. You might say that your understanding is that the correct form is …. But if the teacher defends his or her style, I would back off and suggest your son follow the teacher’s style — at least until the end of the school year.
January 24, 2012 at 12:32 pm
Hi Laura,
Absolutely your are so right!
The teachers in English are in-sourced from a private company.
We planned to speak with the coordinator from the school first in a “wondering” way “Why…as we understand…?”
Thank you!!!
Take care – Isvarly and Steen
January 23, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Thank you for this list. I’m surprised, though, that you didn’t include commas that go before nouns of address. So few people are aware of the need for them, it seems. I’m tired of seeing things like “Hey Laura, great job” and “Get your facts straight people.” Those sentences should, of course, read “Hey, Laura, great job” and “Get your facts straight, people.” This isn’t really a criticism, though; I just feel compelled to point it out since it’s one of my biggest pet peeves.
And thanks for including the Oxford comma in the second sentence of your intro paragraph. It seems that most people don’t use it anymore, which I find to be a shame.
January 24, 2012 at 8:35 am
You’re right about the missing comma surrounding a noun of address. It seems that no one (except those of us who had a formal education in grammar and punctuation) is aware of that rule. It’s rare nowadays to see the comma used in that situation. It may just be part of a long-standing trend to use fewer and fewer punctuation marks. When I was in school, I was taught that a comma was required after an introductory prepositional phrase, but that’s one punctuation rule that is now considered “quaint.”
My list of top five comma errors is based on my observations of the writing done by Yahoo!’s writers and editors. Since nouns of address are not that common in their writing, it didn’t make my list. But it’s one of my pet peeves, too.
February 15, 2012 at 8:12 am
Comma use in the following example:
A.) Chicago, IL is a wonderful place to live. or
B.) Chicago, IL, is a wonderful place to live.
February 27, 2012 at 9:58 am
“In the U.S., commas and periods go inside the quotation marks. That’s the American way.”
Thank you! I am a Canadian currently living in the United States and I used to find myself confusing the locals because I grew up learning English, not American. I put the letter ‘u’ in words and pronounce the final letter of the alphabet as ‘zed’ instead of ‘zee’. I always wrote dates in the European format, my currencies had commas, and my puncuations went outside the quotations marks.
It took me several years to adjust but now when applying for jobs I let it be known that I write and speak both English and American.
(I know that you will find mistaks in my puncuation, I will never get it all down correctly. Its the apostrophes that dirve me up the wall.)
February 27, 2012 at 9:59 am
..and apparently my typing is wanting today as well….Darn fingers need to learn how to proofread.
March 7, 2012 at 10:13 am
‘Ello! You have a wonderful site.
Can someone please tell me which is correct?
“In 1990, insert event here.”
OR
“In 1990 insert event here.”
March 9, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Either one is fine. Years and years ago, I was taught that a comma was required following an introductory prepositional phrase, but nowadays the trend is definitely for less punctuation. The comma isn’t incorrect, but it’s also not necessary.
March 13, 2012 at 8:29 am
What is frustrating is the date and time put in red font to show who was writing their comments is even correct. It does not use a comma after the year before they state the time
March 13, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Cherie, It’s not a sentence, just a date and time. I don’t think there’s any chance of confusing the reader.
April 11, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Is it necessary to add commas around his, or her,…
April 11, 2012 at 7:59 pm
It’s not necessary. But if you want to emphasize “or her,” you could do it with em dashes: his — or her —
April 25, 2012 at 1:31 am
Would you put a coma between an institution and its locality as in a situation below (pls note “Rotary Club” & “New York Chapter” are in two seperate lines).
Rotary Club
New York Chapter
or should this be with a coma after “Rotary Club” as in below:
Rotary Club,
New York Chapter
April 25, 2012 at 8:04 am
There’s no need for the comma if the info appears on two separate lines.
April 28, 2012 at 10:54 pm
using comma have become imperative. pls elaborate me more.
May 19, 2012 at 3:54 pm
I’m a 64-year-old proofreader and I could swear I grew up using commas as in the following sentence: My friend, Laura, is going to college. Or is it only: Laura, my friend, is going to college. What is right and why?
May 19, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Your examples are of appositives. Laura is in apposition to “my friend.” Appositives can be restrictive or non-restrictive. Wikipedia notes “In a restrictive appositive, the second element limits or clarifies the foregoing one in some crucial way.” In the phrase “my friend Laura,” “Laura” specifies the friend you’re referring to, so it’s restrictive. (That assumes that you have more than one friend!) A restrictive appositive isn’t set off by commas. On the other hand, a non-restrictive appositive doesn’t limit the word it’s in apposition to because that word is already uniquely identified and the appositive merely adds more information. So, you’d write “Laura, my friend,” because your friend is identified by her name. Non-restrictive appositives should be set off with commas.
May 22, 2012 at 5:14 am
Can anyone check my profile objective for grammar and punctuation errors.
https://www.odesk.com/users/~~b70879ae7c6b043f
email me at soul_silence1@yahoo.com
Thanks in advance
May 22, 2012 at 8:04 am
Please send your request to terriblywrite[at]yahoo[dot]com and we can discuss my fees for editing.
May 23, 2012 at 8:47 am
Would a question mark and/or an exclamation point go inside the end of a quotation mark?
May 23, 2012 at 11:15 am
Like many questions that have to do with language, the answer is, “it depends.” If the words inside the quotation marks are a question, the question mark goes before the closing quotation mark. Otherwise, it goes after the quotation mark:
She asked, “Who’s going to the party?”
Did you see the movie “Going My Way”?
The same rule applies to the exclamation point: If the words inside the quotation mark are uttered in excitement, put the exclamation point inside the quotation marks.
She yelled, “Get over here now!”
I demand you return my copy of “Going My Way”!
May 31, 2012 at 11:36 am
Should there be commas around the daughter’s name?
Her daughter, April, may return in June 2009 for the reunion.
Thanks for the article! I just wanted to check.
May 31, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Your example is of an appositive. April is in apposition to “her daughter.” Appositives can be restrictive or non-restrictive. Wikipedia notes “In a restrictive appositive, the second element limits or clarifies the one before it in some crucial way.”
If the woman has more than one daughter, in the phrase “her daughter April,” “April” specifies the daughter you’re referring to, so it’s restrictive.The name April limits or uniquely identifies the daughter. A restrictive appositive isn’t set off by commas. Sol this is correct: “Mary has three girls. Her daughter April is the oldest.”
On the other hand, a non-restrictive appositive doesn’t limit the word it’s in apposition to because that word is already uniquely identified and the appositive merely adds more information. Non-restrictive appositives should be set off with commas. If you’ve already established that the woman has only one daughter, then April is non-restrictive. So: “Mary has two boys and a girl. Her daughter, April, is the oldest.”
You’d also write “April, her daughter,” because her daughter is identified by her name.
June 3, 2012 at 11:57 am
When writing out a location and a date to show when something (a scene in a story) takes place, should there be a comma after the state’s abbreviation?
Ex: “Chicago, IL, January 2010” or “Chicago, IL January 2010” or something else entirely?
Thanks in advance.
June 3, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Sarah, it’s a bit difficult for me to answer since I don’t know how this appears in the text. Is this a title or subtitle of some sort? Or does it appear in a sentence, which doesn’t seem likely to me. Also, is there a reason you chose to use the postal abbreviation IL? Do you need to include the state at all?
June 3, 2012 at 6:29 pm
They’re captions that appear above the actual narrative throughout the story to let the reader know when and where that particular part of the story is taking place. I suppose if you were to imagine it as a television show, then it would be a subtitle over an establishing shot. I definitely need to include the state as the timeline of this story takes place in several locations over several years and some of the places are lesser known towns or cities that share names with other cities in the country. I do not need to use postal abbreviations though.
June 3, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Since this info isn’t appearing in a sentence, I think you’re free to use any punctuation (or none) that makes sense to you. Rules of punctuation apply to sentences to aid the reader. I don’t think there’s a rule you have to follow. You could separate the location from the date with some special character or characters or just an em dash. I think it would also make sense to spell out the state, since not everyone will be familiar with US state postal abbreviations.l
December 11, 2014 at 12:50 pm
A similar situation, which my father and I have been arguing over for years each December as he writes the family Christmas letter, is how many commas are needed and where to put them in the following sentence.
a) We visited Atlanta GA to see the Medieval Times show.
b) We visited Atlanta, GA to see the Medieval Times show.
c) We visited Atlanta, GA, to see the Medieval Times show.
Dad refuses to give up using the postal abbreviations, and insists that both a) and b) are fine. I favor c) for its similarity to the rule for using the full state name or an abbreviation in the AP style.
If I can’t make him stop using the postal abbreviations in sentences, can you recommend which of the three comma options is preferable?
December 11, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Before discussing the comma issue, I have a question: Do the readers of the family Christmas letter know where Atlanta is? Do they know it’s in Georgia? If so, why include the state (abbreviated or written out)? If they don’t know where Atlanta is, then the postal abbreviation isn’t going to help them one little bit. They probably wouldn’t know it stands for Georgia. My advice: Ditch the state or spell it out, depending on your knowledge of the letter’s readers.
If your dad insists on keeping the GA, then I don’t think it matters if there is (or is not) a comma following it. It’s a personal, friendly letter, not the New York Times. You needn’t hold slavishly to AP style; let your dad decide if he wants a comma. I promise no one will judge.
June 6, 2012 at 8:45 am
I didn’t see this in the comments (although there are quite a few so forgive me if it has already been answered). Is it required to put the year after multiple dates within the same year? And if so, is a comma required after each date?
For example, which of these is correct:
The client came in on January 4 and February 5, 2012.
The client came in on January 4, and February 5, 2012.
The client came in on January 4, 2012, and February 5, 2012.
Thanks in advance! And great site!
July 4, 2012 at 6:35 am
Your first example is correct.
June 22, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Commas outside of quotation marks = nails on chalkboard. Thank you for validating my pet peeve. And thank you for visiting my blog, too!
July 8, 2012 at 4:46 pm
I’d like to know if a comma is required between No and thanks, as in this situation:
“No thanks,” said Bob, “I’m too full for another bite.”
July 8, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Did Bob pause slightly after saying “no”? Probably not, so no comma is required.
July 8, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Okay, that’s what I thought. Thank you.
July 10, 2012 at 8:50 am
..at the…State of Tennessee on Thursday, the 12th day of April 2012, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
IS THIS DATE CORRECT?
July 10, 2012 at 10:01 am
I have no idea. Are you sure you don’t mean the 13th day of April?
July 11, 2012 at 6:07 am
??? April 12, 2012 was a Thursday. ???? My question is should a comma be between April and 2012?
July 11, 2012 at 7:37 am
I was being facetious since you asked if the date was correct, not if the spelling or punctuation was correct. I see no reason to include a comma between a month and a year.
July 11, 2012 at 7:49 am
Thank you.
BTW: I am at work, so “facetious” flies right over my head!!
July 23, 2012 at 5:00 pm
If my name is tony and someone replies to me : great e-mail,Tony. Is the punctuation in is email to me correct?
July 23, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Great question, Tony! When you’re addressing someone in writing and use their name, set it off with a comma (or two). Your friend’s use of the comma, Tony, is correct.
August 16, 2012 at 10:24 am
Should the date on a program be written as August 22nd & 23rd 2012 or August 22 & 23, 2012? I think the second is best, need your advice.
August 16, 2012 at 4:42 pm
I agree that the second is better. It’s correct and it’s easier to read. Go for it!
May 19, 2013 at 12:07 am
Laura, when would it be appropriate to write out August 22nd & 23rd?
August 21, 2012 at 10:34 am
So, if I’m following along here, I’m correct when I write: “…Wednesday, August 29 from 2:50-4:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel.” Yes?
August 21, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Looks good to me!
August 29, 2012 at 8:34 am
Do you need a comma between November and 1860.
Thus, in Novmeber, 1860, Linclon was elected as the president of the U.S.
August 29, 2012 at 9:03 am
If you’re writing just a month and year (without a day), don’t separate them with a comma. And don’t include a comma after the year.
Her daughter April may return in June 2009 for the reunion.
September 17, 2012 at 5:21 am
I know it is probably a US writing convention but that comma inside quotation marks is so weird to me. I get the impression you also quote the pause, although they are not part of what you just quoted.
September 17, 2012 at 9:05 am
I think what looks “so weird” to us depends on what we’re used to seeing. In any case, the U.S. preference for putting commas (and periods) before a closing quotation mark seems to be a holdover from typesetting days and was one way to protect the comma and period from getting accidentally removed.
October 14, 2012 at 5:16 pm
What about when you are writing a address like ex: 234 Main Lane St. Petersburg Missouri. Where would the comma go??
October 14, 2012 at 11:03 pm
You’ll need a comma after the name of the street and city. If the state isn’t the last word in the sentence, then put a comma after it, too.
October 30, 2012 at 2:53 am
Hi, do I need a comma with city-year combination on the title page of some written term paper. New York 2012
or New York, 2012?
October 30, 2012 at 2:54 am
Hi, do I need a comma in city-year combination on the title page of some written term paper?
Is it New York 2012
or New York, 2012? Thanks
October 30, 2012 at 7:27 am
I don’t think it matters.
November 1, 2012 at 2:26 am
Nice post. I’m having issue with number five (placing a comma outside the quotation marks) at the moment since it only applies to US English (as you say), and not English English (and apparently some versions of Canadian English), where: ‘Her favorite movies are “First Wives Club”, “The Second Time Around”, and “The Last King of Scotland”.’ would correct (with the full stop at the end coming before the outer quotation because the punctuation falls within the quotation, but the commas coming outside the inner quotations because they’re not). The question here is, does it matter which version you use as long as you’re consistent throughout your work?
I’m having to grapple with this one at the moment since I’ve got a book coming out in the UK which is written using British conventions and I’m wondering if I can leave it this way for the international edition (that will be on sale in the US), or whether everything needs to be changed to the US conventions (punctuation, spellings etc) for this one.
Any thoughts on this front?
November 1, 2012 at 5:12 pm
There are certainly a lot of differences between US English and English written in the rest of the world. The placement of the comma and period (full stop) before a closing quotation mark is just one issue. I believe the use of single and double quotation marks is reversed in the US. We use double quotation marks for the main quote, and single quotation marks within a quote. So in the US, we’d write: “Her favorite movies are ‘First Wives Club,’ ‘The Second Time Around,’ and ‘The Last King of Scotland.'” In addition to the differences in spelling, our vocabulary and many idioms are somewhat different. Most US readers would understand a book written in the UK for a non-US audience. The Harry Potter series was edited for an American readership — but the series was already a whole success in the UK, and so it made sense to invest in another edit. I don’t have any experience in editing a book for different English-speaking audiences, but you might find out more here: http://askville.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-books-edited-Americanized-Scholastic-readers/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4096222
November 1, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Thanks for your reply and the links. I’m just not too sure how not using the standard US protocols might affect US readers’ opinions of my work. I hadn’t really thought about the differences between US English and British English in quite so much detail before this all came up. The issue of single vs. double quotation marks and where the punctuation is placed is one issue that has been troubling me. There is also the fact that, as an American friend pointed out to me, an American teenager would never say something along the lines of ‘She fancies you!’ (meaning ‘She likes you’) as I’d written at one point. This is not even getting into the issues that resulted in the first Harry Potter book being called ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone’ in England, but ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone’ in the US. Then there is issues with words and phrases than there appears to be no US equivalent of, such as ‘Dodgy’, or ‘Knock-on effect’. And then there is the confusion between words that are the same but have very different meanings, such as what are ‘Braces’ in the UK, but ‘Suspenders’ in the US (boy did that cause me a lot of confusion at first since both words have very different meaningsw in the other country). What makes it worse is I’m Scottish, where we have words such as ‘outwith’ (which means something along the lines of ‘Not part of’ but it’s more specific than that) that are no recognised in the rest of the UK, and even that I’m from Glasgow where the word ‘How’ is used instead of ‘Why’ (it’s short for ‘How Come?’). As George Bernard Shaw said, ‘England and America are two countries separated by a common language’. This seems to apply to Scotland and England, and indeed, within Scotland, between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Still not decided what to do for an American/International edition. Humm, sorry this comment seems to be less a reply and more of a blog posting in it’s own right!
November 3, 2012 at 10:03 am
If your story takes place in the UK, then UK expressions are appropriate, no? And maybe somethings don’t need to be changed for a US audience. I remember my daughter, at age 11, reading Adrian Mole books, and loving them — and we bought them in England, so they weren’t Americanized. I’m really out of my element, though, on this issue. Perhaps you can find an online group of writers who are dealing with, or have dealt with, the same challenge?
November 3, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the suggestion. The story is actually set in the northern Bahamas, with a mixed cast of Brits, Americans and Canadians (just to make things complicated!). I’ll need to see if I can find somewhere to get some advice on this (it hadn’t reallyoccurred to me as a potential issue until a couple of days ago, until I read your posting…
November 30, 2012 at 9:39 am
Rubbish cheese r us is better
December 4, 2012 at 1:37 pm
[…] we mull over documents that look too comma crazy, or whether to go with one or two spaces after a period, or even proper punctuation with regard […]
December 10, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Does one apply the same rules for comma insertion following a full date if the date is expressed in month, day, year numbered format, i.e., 10/01/2012?
EXAMPLE: Helen’s baby was born on Tuesday, 10/01/2012, almost 3 weeks early.
December 10, 2012 at 4:56 pm
In your example, the commas are correct because the date is in apposition to the word “Tuesday.” But you wouldn’t always need commas, as in this care: Helen’s baby was born on 10/01/2012 at 1:00.
December 12, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Found this post just when I needed it! Thanks!
January 12, 2013 at 8:21 am
Did anyone notice that the example, “Her daughter April may return in June 2009 for the reunion.=” needs commas?? Should be, “Her daughter, April, may return in June 2009 for the reunion.”
January 12, 2013 at 9:13 am
There is no way to tell from that single sentence that commas are required around April. If she has more than one daughter, then the name April is required to identify the daughter in question and is not set off by commas. If she has only one daughter, then the commas surrounding April would be correct because the name of the daughter is not required to identify her. Since I wrote that sentence I declare it correct without commas!
May 19, 2013 at 12:03 am
That’s pretty complicated. I don’t think I learned that in school, and I have a PhD! Please disregard the question I asked below about this; I hadn’t read through the entire blog.
January 15, 2013 at 3:28 pm
It is ok to put a comma after the word,”about” in the following sentence?
This book was about, a little boy trying to save the planet.
January 15, 2013 at 3:49 pm
No, Brandon, no. Don’t put a comma after “about.”
January 24, 2013 at 8:13 pm
What about sentences starting with “In 1995…” would you say “In 1995, blah blah blah” or “In 1995 blah blah blah”
January 24, 2013 at 8:50 pm
If there is no chance for confusion, there is no need for the comma after the prepositional phrase “in 1995.”
February 17, 2013 at 4:20 pm
I think that the rule requiring a comma after the name of a state when following a city is actually wrong. So, I understand that this would be considered correct punctuation: “Ted arrived from Memphis, Tennessee, this morning.” But I refuse to follow that rule, since it does not make any sense, and I actually think that the rule is wrong. It reminds me of that line from the movie Happy Gilmore when Adam Sandler’s character tells Bob Barker: “The price is wrong, ‘Expletive’!” Why do we follow old rules in grammar if they don’t have any relevance today?
February 17, 2013 at 6:13 pm
Just because you don’t agree with a rule doesn’t make it wrong. Punctuation rules, like the rest of the language, evolve and some day most authorities may agree with you that the comma after the state is unnecessary. But if you want to write in standard English, you’ll include it — at least for now. I actually find the comma helpful. Try reading your sentence with the single comma and pause when you get to the comma; then read the rest of the sentence without the pause. You might find that “Tennessee this morning” sounds awkward, at best.
March 1, 2013 at 3:13 pm
You do not normally need a comma after the year in a date because it would make the year parenthetical, which it is not. Same with the state following a city. August 11, 1921 is my grandfather’s birthday. In this case, 1921 is NOT parenthetical; it’s a necessary part of the date. However, if you wrote the date as an introductory preposition phrase, you would put the comma after the year, not because the year needs setting off, but because it’s the end of the phrase: On August 11, 1921, my grandfather was born in Salem, Oregon to George Smith, a bricklayer, and his wife Sarah, an artist. If you use the military style of writing a date, such as 11 August 1921, you don’t put commas around the year. The bill was passed on 11 August 2011 in Washington, DC to end discrimination against comma abuse.
April 10, 2013 at 11:35 am
I have a question about the comma after Dear or Hi. We can put the comma after Hi like ‘Hi, Jason’, but don’t use it after Dear. Why is it? and is it wrong if I put the comma after Dear like ‘Dear, Jason’?
May 10, 2013 at 3:36 pm
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May 11, 2013 at 7:14 pm
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May 18, 2013 at 11:59 pm
I’ve noticed that people always write:
Hi Laura,…
Wouldn’t it be more correct to write:
Hi, Laura…?
Also, is it no longer necessary to separate a person’s name in a sentence? I saw above that you wrote:
My daughter April…
But when I was growing up, I’m pretty sure they taught:
My daughter, April,…
Thank you so much for providing these answers! I’d really like to use the comma appropriately because I write so much for my job.
July 19, 2013 at 2:28 pm
I think it would have to be:
Hi, Laura, …
Your second question pertains to restrictive vs nonrestrictive clauses. It depends on how many daughters you have. If you only have one daughter, her name is just parenthetical information: “My daughter, April, …”. But if you have multiple daughters, you need to clarify WHICH daughter you’re referring to: “My daughter April …” (as opposed to my daughter June, my daughter May, or my daughter December—which in retrospect was a terrible choice of name).
July 25, 2013 at 10:06 am
If I am writing and email to students at a university, I need to know if the “TH” is correct or is it supposed to be omited, example, Registration will open up in August 8th; online registration is now open. Should or shouldn’t the “th” on the date be there?
July 25, 2013 at 10:38 am
There is no need for the “th” in a date.
August 1, 2013 at 2:57 pm
I am a seventh grade language arts teacher and looking for sites to use in classroom. I was specifically looking for comma rule regarding dates in a sentence. When I found this site I was excited to find it had what I needed plus more. But too many mistakes in other areas!!! To be specific….
1. Where is the sentence’s endmark?
“…….England, last week”
2. Last rule “placing commas outside quotation marks” is stated but narrative only discusses commas inside quotations. So, is there ever a time when the comma is outside the quotations?
3. I believe you are not to begin a sentence with “and” unless writing a compound sentence.
“Terrible Writing on the Web. And Writing Terribly Well for the Web” appears at the very top.
The writer should use a comma before AND to write a compound thought or title.
As people are getting more information from websites, that information should be presented correctly.
Respectfully submitted, Ann Beach
August 1, 2013 at 5:41 pm
Ann, you are correct that I inadvertently omitted the period (or “the sentence’s endmark” as you so quaintly put it) in that sentence. I will correct it.
In the U.S., a comma always goes before the closing quotation mark. In the rest of the English-speaking world, the rule is different.
As for beginning a sentence with “and,” it is considered a grammatical myth that has been debunked decades ago that you cannot begin a sentence with “and.” And the example you give is NOT of two sentences. They are fragments functioning as a subtitle. Combining them with a comma and the word “and” would not make them a sentence. They would still be a fragment — but a longer one.
I suspect that you’re not working in the U.S. and that the rules you learned may be different. I hope so, at least. Given the number of mistakes you made in your own writing and your wobbly knowledge of grammar, I’d hate to think that you’re teaching American children. Our educational system has enough problems.
July 22, 2018 at 7:20 am
Ann,
I agree with Laura–I hope you do not teach language arts in the United States.
August 7, 2013 at 6:52 am
With having so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagiarism or copyright violation?
My website has a lot of unique content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any solutions to help reduce content from being stolen? I’d truly appreciate it.
August 28, 2013 at 9:02 am
Every posting date listed for comments omits the comma after the year even in the paragraph that gives the rule that if there is a comma before the year, put a comma after the year. No wonder people can’t punctuate any more since the authoritative sources can’t even follow their own rules.
So what is it? a) The event began June 30, 2013, at 4 pm.
b) The event began June 30, 2013 at 4 pm.
August 28, 2013 at 9:35 am
I have no control over the formatting of the date for comments but I don’t see any problem with the way it’s formatted since it is not embedded in a sentence and there is no chance for confusion.
September 18, 2013 at 11:06 am
Is this punctuation correct: Date: Tuesday, October 15; Time: 10AM; Location: Aspen Room
My boss doesn’t want me to use the semi colons, but seems to me something should separate the Date, Time and Location.
September 27, 2013 at 5:18 pm
Do you have to put a comma after a year for instance, “In 1844 Americans were experimenting with…” so would I put a comma after 1844? Thank you !
September 27, 2013 at 5:49 pm
No, you do not automatically put a comma after every year. In the example you give, the comma is unnecessary.
October 22, 2013 at 3:29 pm
Is a comma after New York required or optional in the sentence, “My relatives live in Albany, New York, and Elizabeth, New Jersey,” ?
October 23, 2013 at 4:31 pm
Do i put acooment after that usualyy?
November 13, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Do I need a comma after 10th in the following:
Join us on Tuesday, December 10th for our annual meeting.
January 14, 2014 at 6:43 am
When referring to May and June 2013 would you use a comma after June?
January 14, 2014 at 7:10 pm
There’s no need for a comma in that example.
January 14, 2014 at 1:38 pm
I’m sure I know this but just to be sure, is there a comma after February 24th when someone says, “On February 24th of 2012, blah, blah, blah. . .
January 14, 2014 at 7:10 pm
No, a comma in unnecessary in that sentence.
February 2, 2014 at 11:46 am
Perfect post!
In that last example, I would recommend not using “24th.” I see a lot of use of the ordinal form these days, and although it’s the way we speak, it’s not technically correct in writing. You might say to someone, “On February 24th of 2012, I went to the movies,” but you would write, “On February 24, 2012, I went to the movies.”
Another way to remember to include the commas after years and city/state pairs is that the year or state is functioning as an appositive in those instances.
February 2, 2014 at 11:05 pm
Lawri, thanks for the thoughtful comment. I agree that February 24, 2012, is preferred when writing, but the example was — I think — a quote so I thought both “24th” and “of” were part of the quoted matter.
February 26, 2014 at 4:42 pm
I’m approving a Save The Date card for my daughter. On the back of the card she has: “On August 23 I’m marrying my best friend.” Should there be a comma after the number or not? Should it be 23rd or not? Thanks!
February 26, 2014 at 4:59 pm
Congratulations to you and your daughter! There’s no need for a comma after the 23. In general just the number 23 (and not 23rd) is preferred.
February 28, 2014 at 8:19 pm
Thanks so much, Laura. Everyone says planning a wedding is fun. Daughter and I are wondering when the fun begins! We appreciate your help with our Save The Date. 🙂
March 6, 2014 at 9:10 pm
Why do you need to put commas surrounding the name of a person spoken to?
March 6, 2014 at 9:48 pm
The comma indicates a natural pause when speaking: Katniss, sit down.
It can also avoid the appearance of a mismatch of a subject and verb: Katniss sit down.
March 7, 2014 at 10:08 am
Ok, thank you Laura.
March 7, 2014 at 10:07 am
does this sentence make sense for a powerpoint slide title for a slide about, putting commas around the name of a person spoken to:
(Annunciating a name)?
March 7, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Will your audience know what “annunciating” means? I don’t think it’s terribly clear. Most grammarians refer to this as “direct address” — directly addressing (or talking to) a person or people. It doesn’t have to be addressing them by their name, either. For example:
Waitress, please bring me the check.
Mom, is dinner ready?
Children, settle down!
March 7, 2014 at 10:08 am
the sentence that i was wondering about is the bottom most one of my last comment.
March 9, 2014 at 3:20 pm
Excellent interaction here. We all know that language organic and thus, constantly growing. (Would you leave the comma out of that sentence following the rule that the ‘and’ stands in place of the comma?)
My intended question is this: When addressing someone with an introductory phrase such as, “It’s nice to meet you, James”, would you leave the comma in or take it out? I have heard both and some authors are noting that commas are used too much these days and thus would leave it out.
What is your opinion on these two examples?
March 9, 2014 at 3:22 pm
(And yes, I would put an ‘is’ after ‘language’. ;p
March 9, 2014 at 5:20 pm
Certainly there has been a trend for several decades to reduce the number of punctuation characters used in writing. There was a time when writers were taught to always put a comma after any prepositional phrase that started a sentence. I don’t do that now, but I still tend to be old school in many other areas of punctuation although I believe that the overriding consideration is clarity.
I admit that I don’t understand your comment about the first example you give. I think it’s fine as it is and see no reason for another comma. I would also use the comma before a term of direct address, which I guess makes me a dinosaur.
May 10, 2014 at 3:10 am
For the following example please provide the correct usage of the comma between the time and day: 7 p.m,, Wednesday, May, 17, 2014. I was taught that the comma is necessary in the same manner as the following commas; however, I have a staff person arguing it should not be included. Thank you.
May 15, 2014 at 12:57 pm
Is a comma required between the date and time in this example? July 5, 2014, at 8:30 am
May 15, 2014 at 5:46 pm
I think you can omit the comma after the year without confusing your readers.
June 15, 2014 at 8:38 pm
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July 8, 2014 at 10:20 am
In your above example, “Her daughter April may return in June 2009 for the reunion”… should there be a comma after daughter and one after April?
July 8, 2014 at 12:27 pm
It depends. If the name April is not necessary to identify her daughter, then it should be enclosed in commas. But if she has more than one daughter, then the name is necessary to identify the daughter, and no commas are required. Since I wrote the sentence, I chose not to include the commas on the assumption that the imaginary woman had more than one imaginary daughter.
November 21, 2014 at 10:04 am
Are you appositive about that? ;^}
I think the imaginary woman’s having imaginary daughters confuses the whole issue. She can’t REALLY have two daughters if they are imaginary, can she? April told me that her imaginary mother was very inventive and may have been lying about the other daughter.
July 11, 2014 at 10:09 am
One thing I keep seeing is the comma being eliminated after a short prepositional phrase that begins a sentence.
For instance:
In 1776, George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River.
vs.
In 1776 George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River.
I would put the comma in there, but I see it so frequently not included in books, ads, periodicals, and newspapers.
Is either way correct?
July 11, 2014 at 6:16 pm
The trend over the last several decades has been to use less punctuation. At one time, a comma after an opening prepositional phrase (even a short one) was considered a requirement. Now, more and more authorities say it is unnecessary after a very short phrase; some say it’s unnecessary after a phrase of four or fewer words. Others (like Grammar Girl) recommend using it after any opening prep phrase. Still others say, it depends; if it’s necessary for the rhythm of the sentence or for clarity, then use it.
I don’t think you’re ever wrong by including a comma, but I don’t think it’s a requirement, either. I’m all for leaving it up to the writer and editor (if there is one) to decide on a sentence-by-sentence basis.
August 22, 2014 at 2:35 pm
Does this sentence need a comma after 21:
I need your feedback by Monday, July 21 in order to have time to summarize the data.
October 29, 2014 at 5:42 am
IS THIS CORRECT TO WRITE .. JUNE’2011 ?
October 29, 2014 at 7:08 am
No. What you typed was an apostrophe, not a comma, after “JUNE.” You do not need any punctuation between “JUNE” and “2011.”
December 1, 2014 at 8:23 pm
Do you put a comma after using a time? For example, “at 5:05 AM, on November 1, 2014, I went to my mother’s.”
December 1, 2014 at 11:25 pm
I don’t think a comma is necessary after the time in your sentence.
December 2, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Thank you
December 4, 2014 at 9:50 pm
what if you say, Friday December 5th, 2014, at 4:30 pm. is this correct
December 4, 2014 at 10:06 pm
Friday, December 5th, 2014, at 4:30 pm.
January 11, 2015 at 10:56 am
Thanks for the information! Can you tell me what to do when the city comes after the state, such as in University of California, Irvine? I know I don’t need a comma if the university name is at the end of a sentence, but what if it’s in the middle of one? The university foundation writes the name with the comma after the city, but the university itself seems to write it as UC Irvine … which doesn’t look so good on an application.
January 19, 2015 at 11:20 am
When writing cities/states in list form, is the comma in betweenn them required.
Which is correct —
Detroit, MI
Boston,MA
Seattle, WA
Washington, DC
OR
Detroit MI
Boston MA
Seattle WA
Washington DC
January 19, 2015 at 9:07 pm
I’d include the comma.
February 3, 2015 at 6:48 am
For writing the address:
2 2nd Street – should there be a comma after 2? (2, 2nd Street)
February 3, 2015 at 7:39 am
No. In the U.S., commas are not used between the house number and the street name.
February 4, 2015 at 10:54 am
Is a comma required between a city name and the country in a list such as: “The convention will be held through the summer visiting New York, Chicago and San Francisco, USA.”
February 4, 2015 at 3:37 pm
If you really feel you need to include the country (because your readers don’t know where those cities are), then include the comma.
October 11, 2015 at 7:18 pm
Actually in a listing of three or more when “and” is used, a comma should proceed the word “and”. Called a serial comma.
October 11, 2015 at 9:22 pm
I am well aware of the serial comma, also called the Oxford comma. Whether it is required is often a matter of house style. According to the Associated Press Stylebook, the serial comma is not required unless its absence would cause confusion. In the example above, I saw no possibility of confusion with the omission of the serial comma.
March 31, 2015 at 6:08 am
What about the 31st day of March 2015? Comma or no comma between March and 2015. I use no comma but most things I see use the comma.
March 31, 2015 at 6:18 am
A comma is not necessary in that case.
April 11, 2015 at 9:45 pm
Where would the comma go in this sentence:
On November 27,1969 his father was born.
Would the comma go after 1969?
April 17, 2015 at 7:51 am
Yes.
May 1, 2015 at 9:06 am
i’m wondering whether you anticipated the additional can of worms being opened by your “Her daughter April . . .” example. starting the sentence with “John” would have kept the focus on the date issue; but I love where it went! it reminds me of comedian ralphie may’s daughter’s name. he has one daughter, so the revised example could read as follows: “His daughter, April June May, may return in June 2009 for the reunion.”
May 4, 2015 at 9:58 am
please respond to the questions asked by Carol Dye, Karen (8/26/11), Ellen (8/31/11), and Kim (11/13/13). this particular point about commas after the date without the year has not yet been resolved.
thank you.
May 12, 2015 at 11:37 am
What about when giving a time frame in your sentence
May 12, 2015 at 12:02 pm
What about it? What is your question?
May 13, 2015 at 6:14 am
Is it proper to use a comma after a day of the week and a time reference?
Ex.
Please join me Friday at 6:30pm to…
Please join me Friday, at 6:30pm to…
May 13, 2015 at 6:34 am
There’s no need for a comma in your example.
May 13, 2015 at 7:14 am
Thanks so much!
May 18, 2015 at 12:51 pm
I’ve been trying to find out whether there would need to be a comma wen there is a day but two years listed like, “The company’s tax at March 31, 2015 and 2014, was related to…” Should there be a comma after the second year listed? Thanks for the blog 🙂
May 18, 2015 at 1:25 pm
I don’t think you need a comma after 2015 in your example.
May 22, 2015 at 5:21 am
Thanks for the reply. Should I have the comma after the 2014 then?
May 19, 2015 at 4:46 am
Commas are used differently depending what English you use.
E.g. there’s no comma when writing a date in Brittish English: 19 May 2015
PS: I’m not a native speaker so correct me if I’m wrong 😉
May 20, 2015 at 6:31 am
That actually follows the rule about no comma between a month and a year.
July 23, 2015 at 8:57 am
Do I need a comma after Sunday in this sentence?
Beginning Sunday August 23rd or Beginning Sunday, August 23rd
July 30, 2015 at 9:31 am
The American convention of putting a comma before the quotation mark within a sentence is so illogical that I simply can’t bring myself to do it.
July 30, 2015 at 5:24 pm
You could pretend you’re British or Canadian. Heck, you may be British or Canadian, in which case you can put the comma and the period wherever you like. The American rule seems to stem from decades and decades ago when printers tried to protect the comma and period from loss or destruction by placing it before a closing quotation mark. Some habits are hard to break.
September 13, 2015 at 11:46 am
My daughters teacher says they are to play a comma after the month and before the day as in January, 1, 2011. This is not correct, is it?
September 13, 2015 at 11:46 am
Sorry I meant “place” a comma not play
September 13, 2015 at 12:54 pm
Are you sure your daughter understood the teacher’s instructions? In all my decades of writing, editing, and teaching writing I have never, ever, ever heard of that “rule.” If that’s what the teacher said, then he/she is wrong.
October 12, 2015 at 10:17 am
Me neither!
October 12, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Thanks for the backup!
October 3, 2015 at 3:30 am
Well, in the United Kingdom and other countries we don’t put comma for the date. E.g 3rd October 2015. So its neither right or wrong, they both look right.
October 3, 2015 at 12:23 pm
There’s no need for a comma when the date is formatted so that the day precedes the month.
October 11, 2015 at 7:13 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but are there commas omitted in their example sentence describing the month and year comma? “Her daughter April may return in June 2009 for the reunion.”. Shouldn’t there be commas around the daughter’s name for proper grammar?
October 11, 2015 at 9:18 pm
I wrote that example sentence. If the person in question had only one daughter, then the daughter’s name would be an apposition and would be set off with commas. Since I made up the sentence I decided there were multiple daughters and commas are unnecessary.
October 14, 2015 at 12:30 am
Hi,
Which is correct, 1 or 2?
1. …working on since last week, Friday, for the client. or
2. ..working on since last week Friday, for the client.
October 14, 2015 at 5:57 am
I don’t really understand either option. Do you mean “since last Friday”?
October 16, 2015 at 12:38 am
Which of the two options is using the comma correctly. “She was working on the document since last week, Friday, for the client.” OR “She was working on the document since last week Friday, for the client.”
Please ignore the grammar and focus on the commas.
November 7, 2015 at 9:01 am
She was working on the document for the client since last Friday
November 7, 2015 at 9:56 am
thanks
November 30, 2015 at 11:14 am
Hi, I am compiling class offerings for a Spring 2016 academic institution. In the interests of space I will not be listing 2016 in every offering. Therefore, would a class offering date still require a comma after the day ?
For example:
Date/Time: March 2, – Smith Hall – 1-4 pm
Thanks.
-Aaron
November 30, 2015 at 1:04 pm
No, you don’t need a comma after a date that doesn’t include the year.
November 30, 2015 at 1:59 pm
Thank you Laura!
January 9, 2016 at 2:30 pm
Which is correct?
In 2014 it happened.
Or
In 2014, it happened.
January 9, 2016 at 7:48 pm
Neither is wrong, but you can omit the comma if you like.
February 16, 2016 at 10:00 pm
I am writing a report and i have to tell the different places the person has lived, so my question is do i put a comma in between each of the different places?
ex) Baker City, Oregon, Logan, Utah, San Pedro, California.
February 16, 2016 at 11:03 pm
To avoid any chance of confusing your reader, I recommend you use a semicolon (and not a comma) following the state: Baker City, Oregon; Logan, Utah; San Pedro, California.
March 3, 2016 at 8:06 am
Do you need a comma after a month and day without a year? Also, is the below example even grammatically correct if you do not need the comma?
Ex. Thursday, March 10, at noon
Thank you!
March 3, 2016 at 8:19 am
You do not need a comma following a month and day without a year. However, in your example I would include the commas where you have shown them because the date is in apposition to the day of the week.
March 21, 2016 at 8:39 am
Is there a comma in between month and date when you put it this way; March 25th 2016.
March 21, 2016 at 9:51 am
Since most style guides don’t approve of using “th” following the day in a date, I think you’re free to do whatever you like. Personally, I’m with the majority of experts who recommend: March 25, 2016.
April 21, 2016 at 12:48 pm
Is a comma required after the date in this sentence? I’ve always been uncertain if a comma is needed if it meant to reference a specific letter.
“This letter is in response to your correspondence to the Association dated April 11, 2016 on the owners’ behalf with a request for the Association to reconsider its denial of the proposed dock at the property.
June 3, 2016 at 6:04 am
When writing a date using an abbreviation for the day of the week before the month, do you use a comma between the abbreviated day and month?
Example: Fri., June, 3, 2016
or Fri. June 3, 2016
June 22, 2016 at 7:07 pm
I guess, if you’re referring to the American way regarding quotation marks, brackets etcetera. What about if you’re British.
July 20, 2016 at 5:32 am
I am writing profile of a company and I am in a dilemma about comma usage here. The sentence goes like this
(Company), based out of Delhi, India, and New York, USA, is leading software provider for XYZ, ABC, PQRST industries…(and the sentence goes on)
(Company) based out of Delhi (India) and New York (USA) is leading software provider for XYZ, ABC, PQRST industries…(and the sentence goes on)
Which is the correct usage?
July 20, 2016 at 10:17 am
They are both correct, but the first example is more common (at least in the U.S.).
October 2, 2016 at 5:54 pm
Would you need a comma after the state if the only thing after it is in parentheses?
a) … leading to the raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, (1859).
b) … leading to the raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (1859).
Thank you!
October 2, 2016 at 8:48 pm
I can’t think of a single time when a comma would be used before a parenthesis. Of you two examples, the second (b) is correct.
October 2, 2016 at 10:49 pm
Would you put a comma after Washington, D.C., if it is at the beginning of a sentence as the subject? You are not supposed to put a comma between subject and verb but a city and state are supposed to be set off with commas. Thank you!!
October 3, 2016 at 5:55 am
According to the Chicago Manual of Style, there should be a comma before and after DC, which is Chicago’s (and the U.S. Post Office’s) preferred abbreviation (without periods) for District of Columbia.
October 3, 2016 at 1:50 pm
Laura,
Thank you so much for responding so quickly! I want to confirm your answer.
This is the actual sentence section:
“…but that if there should be a question as far as policy or otherwise, Washington, D.C., gets an opportunity to make sure we have motions…”
So even though Washington, D.C., is the subject of that clause, and putting a comma after D.C. puts a comma between the subject and verb (which is a big no-no), we should go ahead and put the comma after D.C.?
October 3, 2016 at 4:13 pm
I’m not sure where you got your information that putting a comma between a subject and its verb is a “big no-no.” There are plenty of times when it’s not only acceptable, but also required. Depending on your house style or the authority you choose to follow, any of these is correct:
Washington DC (with no commas and no periods is the Associated Press Style)
Washington, DC, (with commas and no periods is the Chicago Manual of Style preferred style and the style recommended by the District of Columbia style guide for its web portal).
If you choose to use periods and a comma, then this style is correct:
Washington, D.C.,
October 4, 2016 at 8:13 am
Laura,
Thank you again for your help.
October 5, 2016 at 8:20 pm
which sentence is correct?
Europe is an exciting place to visit; it is full of historical landmarks.
Europe, is an exciting place to visit; it is full of historical landmarks.
October 5, 2016 at 10:03 pm
The first sentence is correct.
October 20, 2016 at 1:04 pm
If there’s supposed to be a comma after the day and after the year, aren’t your dates in red incorrect?
Also, the most common error I find is the addition of a comma when there aren’t two complete phrases; i.e. a subject and a verb in each. Just because there’s an “and” doesn’t mean a comma must be added. People put them in when they aren’t needed and don’t put them in when they are.
October 20, 2016 at 1:10 pm
Are you referring to the date and time below a commenter’s name? If so, I have no control over the formatting provided automatically by WordPress. My comments about the use of commas refer to commas in sentences, not in snippets where there’s no possibility of misinterpretation of the data.
As for the common problem you cite, I think you mean “clauses,” not “phrases,” since a clause has both a subject and a verb. I can’t say I’ve seen unnecessary commas as often as I see the mistakes listed here, but I’ll keep an eye out for them.
February 22, 2017 at 10:12 am
When writing an obituary and listing birth places and such should there be a comma after state abbreviations? of Hebron, NE, formerly Deshler, NE, the daughter of Dietrich John and Anna Maria (Heitmann) Kirchhoff, was born on the family homestead located northwest of Byron, NE, on September 30, 1926.
February 22, 2017 at 3:48 pm
Are you writing for a newspaper or other publication that has a “house style”? If so, you should follow that style.
February 24, 2017 at 10:07 am
You forgot to place commas around April in the following example:
Her daughter April may return in June 2009 for the reunion.
April acts as an appositive and should be surrounded by commas: Her daughter, April, may return in June 2009 for the reunion.
I love the rest of your tips. I plan to use this online article with my high school students.
February 24, 2017 at 11:29 am
The commas would be correct if the person in question has only one daughter. But what I wrote — without the commas — implies that April is not the only daughter. You might enjoy reading this article, which shows additional examples.
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/the-most-comma-mistakes/
It might help you when you teach English.
February 28, 2017 at 12:09 pm
I was wondering if there should be a commas after my daughter April.
February 28, 2017 at 6:03 pm
I don’t know. What is the sentence and how many daughters do you have?
May 14, 2017 at 9:16 pm
What about month and year with the year shortened:
April ’67
April, ’67
November ’88
November, ’88
Should there be a comma before the year?
May 15, 2017 at 8:59 am
I don’t think a comma is necessary.
May 27, 2017 at 10:51 am
Which is grammatically correct? (a) He graduated in June of 1979. or (b) He graduated in June 1979. Is it necessary to use “of” when writing months and years without a specific day? For example, March of 1991 vs March 1991. Thank you!
May 27, 2017 at 7:44 pm
Although both are correct, the preferred form is without “of.”
August 1, 2017 at 11:47 am
A comma outside quotation marks is wrong in US English, but correct in British English and in many other languages too.
Not only that, but unless the punctuation is part of the quote, it makes logical and semantic sense to place the comma outside the quotes.
August 2, 2017 at 7:24 am
And your point is?
August 3, 2017 at 6:36 pm
Simply that a comma outside quotes conforms to logical reasoning and British rules of syntax.
August 2, 2017 at 7:15 am
If I wrote In 1983 she won the National Book Award would I add a comma after the year and if so why?
August 2, 2017 at 7:23 am
No, don’t put a comma after the year. Many years ago it was the style to put a comma after a prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence. It is now considered “quaint” and unnecessary to include the comma.
November 29, 2017 at 1:34 pm
How to write a date with the name of the city and country in a declaration?
November 30, 2017 at 11:35 pm
I’m afraid I don’t understand your question.
January 16, 2018 at 2:14 am
How would you punctuate a list of cities in the same country? For example instead of:
He visited Trenton, New Jersey and Springfield, New Jersey.
Would the following be accurate?
He visited Trenton and Springfield, New Jersey
It may also be considered ambiguous.
Dave
January 16, 2018 at 12:32 pm
Sometimes the best solution is to rewrite a sentence to avoid the possibility of ambiguity or confusion, especially if lists are involved. You might write: In New Jersey, he visited Trenton and Springfield.
March 31, 2018 at 6:34 am
Is the comma supposed to go after etc., when within parentheses and again outside parentheses? Like this sentence: If there are any changes during the school year (e.g., room location, time, etc.,), we will contact families via email.
March 31, 2018 at 2:51 pm
You should remove the comma after “etc.” and after the closing parenthesis. Not that some people object to the use of both “e.g.” and “etc.” since “e.g.” means “for example” and indicates it is followed by a list that is not exhaustive. The abbreviation “etc.” is redundant since it also indicates there are other similar items that are not listed. Some authorities also object to the use of “e.g.” since many readers don’t know what it means. Those folks recommend using “for example,” “like,” “for instance,” or some such.
February 19, 2019 at 11:24 pm
Please help which one is correct Last Year, I went to….or Last Month I went to…
February 19, 2019 at 11:29 pm
Don’t put comma after year…