Writing Lab Commas in Dates and Geographic Units

Commas in Dates • Use a comma to separate each item in a date from the rest of the sentence. • On December 8, 1941, the U. S. and Britain declared war on Japan.

Commas in Dates cont. • If the date is used as an adjective, do not place a comma after the year. • The December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor is an event that will live in infamy. • Do not place a comma after the parts of a date when only two units (the month and day or the month and year) are used. • June 6, 1944, is the day on which allied forces invaded France during World War II. • June 6 is the day on which allied forces invaded France during World War II. • If only the month and year are used, the comma is often omitted. • The Battle of Iwo Jima took place in February 1945.

Commas in Geographic Units • Use a comma to separate each item in a geographic unit from the rest of the sentence. • The German blitz against London, England, resulted in widespread destruction.

That’s all, folks! • This lesson is part of the UWF Writing Lab Grammar Mini-Lesson Series • Lessons adapted from Real Good Grammar, Too by Mamie Webb Hixon • To find out more, visit the Writing Lab’s website where you can take a self-scoring quiz corresponding to this lesson