Writing Dates and Times
Rule: The following examples apply when using dates:
The meeting is scheduled for June 30.
The meeting is scheduled for the 30th of June.
We have had tricks played on us on April 1.
The 1st of April puts some people on edge.
Rule: When expressing decades, you may spell them out and lowercase them.
Example: During the eighties and nineties, the American economy grew.
Rule: Whether you express decades using incomplete or complete numerals, do not use an apostrophe between the year and the s. When using an incomplete numeral, use an apostrophe to replace the first two numbers.
Correct:
During the ’80s, the world’s economy grew.
During the 1980s, the world’s economy grew.
Incorrect:
During the ’80′s, the world’s economy grew.
During the 1980′s, the world’s economy grew.
Rule: Spell out the time of day in text even with half and quarter hours. With o’clock, the number is always spelled out.
Example: She gets up at four thirty before the baby wakes up.
Example: The baby wakes up at five o’clock in the morning.
Rule: Use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized.
Example: Her flight leaves at 6:22 a.m.
Example: Please arrive by 12:30 p.m. sharp.
Rule: Use noon and midnight rather than 12:00 p.m. or 12:00 a.m.
Note: You may use AM and PM rather than a.m. and p.m.
Quiz: Correct or Incorrect?
1. The last outbreak of smallpox occurred in the late 1970’s.
2. Can you get here by 12:00 midnight?
3. Please deliver the package by August 1st, 2009.
Answers:
1. 1970s
2. midnight (leave out 12:00)
3. August 1, 2009
Posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
168 Responses to “Writing Dates and Times”
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I’m confused at the use of “th” in the dates on this website (e.g. “This entry was posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 …”
Shouldn’t it be “This entry was posted on Sunday, August 24, 2008?”
If the “th” is correct, please explain why. Thanks
Peggy, you are absolutely right that the “th” is incorrectly used in this blog software. Maybe we can start a letter-writing campaign to WordPress.
Thanks for the useful resource. It would be great if the Word Editor such as Microsoft Word could make corrections when mistakes are made in writing dates and times.
Sandy, I agree with you that Microsoft Word should correct dates with its AutoCorrect feature. It does, however, insert dates correctly when using date fields. Both Word and Excel’s “long date” format will look look like this: Monday, September 14, 2009.
In Word 2007, click on the Insert tab, then click Date & Time (right-hand side, Text group). In Excel 2007 on the Home tab, click the Number Format drop-down arrow and select Long Date.
I am a computer applications instructor and I always mention this to my adult students.
How do you write time? he was late 4 minutes and 30 seconds or 4:30 minutes?
If you write 4:30, you are indicating a particular time, not a duration of time. Since you are writing about minutes and seconds (two different categories), follow my rule that says this: If you have numbers in different categories, use numerals for one category and spell out the other.
Example: All 30 history students attended the four plays. (Students are represented with figures; plays are represented with words.)
Your Example: He was four minutes and 30 seconds late.
In most circumstances, you would actually write this: He was 4 1/2 minutes late.
I asked for five pencils, not 50.
Should it be 5:00 AM or just 5 AM?
According to the AP Style Manual, either 5:00 a.m. or 5 a.m. would be correct. Even mixing the two is fine. (See below) Note, however, that the standard is a.m. and p.m., not AM and PM.
AP Style Manual: Q. Can you please tell me how time should be written. Is 9 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. corrrect? Or, should it appear as 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. Thank you!
A. AP style is 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 2007-05-13 (Source: Ask the Editor, Dates, time periods)
What is the correct way to write the following:
The trade was executed at 3:00 p.m., PT, on Wednesday, June 30th.
The best way to write this: The trade was executed on Wednesday, June 30, at 3:00 p.m., PST (or PDT). Note that the day and date appear before the time. Also, I replaced PT with PST or PDT, the more standard abbreviations. Finally, I eliminated the “th” from “June 30.”
would “The morning of July 31, 1901″
be correct, or ….July 31st,1901 ?
This is still confusing for me.
Do not add “st” or “th” to dates that include the year. Even dates that do not include the year do not need pronunciation help. Example: Her birthday is on August 28, which falls on a Saturday this year.
Thanks for your anwer, but now I have another question (or two): is the following correct?
Working 9 to 5, five days a week, (no AM, PM?)
Also, 48 hour strike, the first 72 hours, 24 hour day? Should the numbers be spelled? If not, should the number and hour or hours hyphonated?
With “working 9 to 5,” you don’t need “AM/PM” because it is an expression and the “AM/PM” is understood. If, however, you say, “He needs to be at work by 10,” you would want to clarify morning vs. evening.
Hyphenation answers: 48-hour strike Explanation: Hyphenate compound adjectives (48-hour) in front of a noun (strike).
the first 72 hours Explanation: Do not hyphenate onto a noun (hours).
24-hour day Explanation: Hyphenate compound adjectives (24-hour) in front of a noun (day).
Numbers greater than nine (or ten) do not need to be spelled out.
Thanks, you were a great help!
Does it matter that the year of the date falls on to the second line in a paragraph? For example:
“…the next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, August 21,
2010.”
Place the entire date, excluding the day of the week, on one line: “…the next meeting is scheduled for Saturday,
August 21, 2010.”
Hi,
I am troubled by this question from my daughter,
Is “The first telephone directory was issued February 21, 1878, by the New Haven Telephone Company.” fine enough or the word “on” is required before the date?
Thank you for your help,
Use “on” with a complete date: The first telephone directory was issued on February 21, 1878…
What about the use of dates as adjectives? I’ve seen conflicting guidance on whether a comma should follow a date when it’s used as a adjective: the July 2, 2010, meeting or the July 2, 2010 meeting.
the July 2, 2010, meeting
Always use commas.
What is the correct way to express yearly quarters? Is using roman numerals correct? For example IQ2010, IIQ2010, or is the correct way to use numbers 1Q2010? Do you need to express the year completely or would IQ10 work?
This is a style question. I am not sure of the best answer. I looked up your question in The Chicago Manual of Style but couldn’t find the answer after approximately 30 minutes of searching. Let me know what you find out!
I am confused about punctuating dates in sentences. Should a comma be placed before “as of September 30, 2010″ in the following sentence?
Example: We recomputed totals to determine whether the general ledger trial balance was in balance as of September 30, 2010.
And one more question…Should commas be placed after the word “period” and after “June 30, 2010″ in the following sentence?
Example: For purchases and sales of investments during the period July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010 we traced purchases and sales to posting in their respective bank accounts.
What is the general rule of thumb for comma placement of dates within sentences? It seems the rules have changed since I’ve been in school!
With a complete date, place a comma before and after the year.
…during the period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, we traced….
You do not need a comma in front of expressions such as “as of.”
Hi Jane,
I have a question when to make hour or day plural.
Is the following correct:
“Join for 24 hours, 30 days or a year.”
How about:
“There are three membership options: 24-hour, 30-day or annual.”
Two other examples:
“Is there a security deposit taken when I become a 24-hour member?”
“Will my unlocking code work for 24 hours?”
Thanks very much for your help.
Wouldn’t 24 hours simply indicate that the place never closes rather than the length of the membership? The other options are fine.
I know it is correct to put a comma after the year when writing a date like January 1, 2001, in a sentence. There is a variation that I have not found addressed online or in the Chicago Manual of Style. Does a comma follow the day numeral in a sentence? For example: “The drawing will be held on Sunday, December 19, in the auditorium.”
Without the year following, no comma is necessary after the date.
Example: The drawing will be held on Sunday, December 19 in the auditorium.
However, because you are following the date with a prepositional phrase, you may use the comma after the date.
What about if I was writing a period, for example:
We will be there at the conference from the 15th – 19th of November, 2010.
How would you write this?
Thanks
Your punctuation is just fine.
Will you please tell me the proper way to punctuate this:
The clerk was suspended on Monday, January 2, 2011, and Tuesday, January 03, 2011.
The clerk was suspended on Monday, January 2, 2011, and Tuesday, January 3, 2011.
To make sure that your numbering is consistent, drop the “0″ in the second date.
Another thought… could you write it as:
The clerk was suspended on Monday, 01/02/11, and Tuesday, 01/03/11.
The Chicago Manual of Style (9.36) suggests, “For practical reasons, all-numeral styles of writing dates (5/10/99, etc.) should not be used in formal writing (except with certain dates that may be known that way: e.g., 9/11, for September 11, 2001).”
In regards to date, time, and location:
Sentence structure:
The meeting will be held on Saturday, December 14, at 7 p.m., at the Longmont Campus.
Should a comma be after the date and after the time?
I would recommend adding the year to your sentence, as well as stating the time as “7:00 p.m.” rather than “7 p.m.”
The meeting will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2011, at 7:00 p.m., at the Longmont Campus.
How would you handle time on a split line?
For example, is the below correct?
“John was hoping to be able to purchase a ticket for the 10:00
AM train to Portland.”
I would recommend not splitting the time at the end of a line.
“John was hoping to be able to purchase a ticket for the
10:00 A.M. train to Portland.”
Sheould there be a comma after the year when stating a specific date, year and time of day?
With a complete date, place a comma before and after the year.
The conference will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at 1:00 P.M.
There’s nothing so embarrassing as submitting a question containing a typo to a grammer site! (See my previous submission.)
I hope you do not embarrass easily because your last comment also contains a typo: grammar (not grammer)!
Hi.
We have a meeting on June 30.
How do we pronounce ’30′ here? I’ve read that is pronounced differently (like June thirtieth, even if it’s 30).
Is it correct?
Thanks!
Even though it is written June 30, it is acceptable to pronounce it June 30th.
Hi, I would find out how would we phrase a sentence with 2 dates eg lessons will be held from 10 Jul 2011 to 20 Jul 2011 or lessons will be held on 10 Jul 2011 to 20 Jul 2011.
The correct usage in US format would be:
Lessons will be held from July10-20, 2011 OR
Lessons will be held from July 10 through July 20, 2011.
The correct usage in European format would be:
Lessons will be held from 10 Jul 2011 to 20 Jul 2011.
If I were to write
” The 1st of April…” should it be a smaller st or a standard type st ?
Standard type is fine. Some word processing programs will automatically change this to a smaller font and make it a superscript as well.
Hi,
I scanned but did not see this issue.
Which of these formats is proper?
March 2010 or March, 2010 – as in “… and matures in March, 2010.”
Thanks
When only the month and year are given, a comma is not used.
“Matures in March 2010″ would be the correct usage.
For a presentation document that is to specify the month and year alone, how is that written? Some say: June, 2011. I say June 2011. What is the rule?
You are correct. It should be written “June 2011.” According to the Chicago Manual of Style (6.45), “Where month and year only are given, or a specific day (such as a holiday) with a year, neither system uses a comma.”
I am always confused when using both a date and a time in a sentence. Some of the above cleared that up, but I am still confused about using a time range.
The church picnic will be on July 18th at 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Am I close or do I have a way to go? I really would prefer not to have to use a year because it seems a little useless since these reminders usually go out in emails a couple days before the event.
Yes, you are very close! All you have to do is change the word at to from.
The church picnic will be held on July 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Hi, I am writing a critique of a tutorial which is on video. When referring to parts of the video in minutes and seconds should I write at 4:30 or 4’30″? Or is there a better way of expressing this?
Thanks.
The best way to express “four minutes, thirty seconds” would be 00:04:30. It is important to use eight numerals to indicate hours:minutes:seconds when referring to time in video.
I am writing a sentence which reads, “I rode in one of your taxis from
La Guardia Airport to the Marriott Marquis Hotel for a 2:00 p.m. appointment.”
Is the time written correctly?
Yes, it is written correctly. You could also write 2:00 PM or 2:00 P.M.
Is this sentence correct:
“Please join us in the conference room tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., for birthday cake.”
Thanks.
The comma is not necessary.
Hi,
When referring to a date such as September 25th, 2011 and the th is superscript, should the comma after the th be superscript also? Thank you.
No, the comma would not be superscript. Also, as shown in Rule 8 of Writing Numbers, the date should be referred to as either September 25, 2011, or as the 25th of September, 2011.
is this correct?
The task in the scanner lasted 20 min. 50 sec. (I am not sure whether to write minutes, mins. I am also not sure if I need to connect 20 min. 50 sec. with a word, such as, and.
AP Stylebook recommends spelling out hours, minutes, and seconds. You would not need a word to connect the minutes and seconds. Therefore, “The task in the scanner lasted 20 minutes 50 seconds.”
Is this sentence correct? I am not sure if I need to put a comma when i make a comparison.
On the contrary, accuracy was significantly lower in the R condition(,?) than in the NR condition
Table 1 and Figure 4 present regions that where active for each of the two experimental conditions, as compared to the empty trials.
I cannot find a solution to this grammar problem anywhere. Thank you.
There is no particular rule about commas when making comparisons; it’s more according to the flow of the sentence. There is no need for a comma after the word condition in the first sentence or the word conditions in the second sentence. Also in the second sentence, you probably wanted the word were rather than where.
Hello, I’m still learning English now, I have some questions.
1. how to write 7.15 AM in letters, is it a quarter pass seven or a quarter past seven?
2. How to mention 14.00 in letters. is it Two PM or Fourteen O’clock?
Maybe it sounds silly but it is confusing me. Thanks a lot.
According to Rule 12 of Writing Numbers, “Normally, spell out the time of day in text even with half and quarter hours. With o’clock, the number is always spelled out.”
Rule 13 says, “Use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized or when using A.M. or P.M.”
Therefore, 7:15 A.M. would be correct. (“A quarter past seven in the morning” could be used for informal writing.) For your second example, you could write either 2:00 P.M. or two o’clock in the afternoon.
Hi,
I have a question on a date range. I want to write “… through September 08 – September 24.” I don’t want to write ‘September’ twice. Which is correct (if any): “September 08-24″ or “September 08 – 24″?
The first seems, to me, that it can be confused with August 24 (08-24) as some people write dates this way. I would personally prefer the latter, but would like to know the correct way.
Thank you!
Regarding my above comment, I wanted to add another option, for possible clarification.
“September 08th – 24th”
“September 08th-24th”
“September 8th-24th”
I don’t like leaving off the “0″ before a single digit date, but if there is no “rule” about it, then I suppose it doesn’t matter (please specify).
Also, please comment on the hyphen placement and spacing, as well as possibly abbreviating the month (“Sep 08th – 24th”).
Thank you!
According to the section on Dashes in my book and on the GrammarBook.com website, an en dash, roughly the width of an n, is a little longer than a hyphen. It is used for periods of time when you might otherwise use the word to. Most authorities recommend using no spaces before or after en or em dashes. To form an en dash with most PCs, type the first number or word, then hold down the ALT key while typing 0150 on the numerical pad on the right side of your keyboard. Then type the second number or word.
According to the Chicago Manual of Style, “When specific dates are expressed, cardinal numbers are used.” Therefore, a “0″ before a single digit date would not be used, nor would you use “th.”
Regarding abbreviations, AP Stylebook says, ” When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone.”
September 8—24 or Sept. 8—24 would be correct.
Jane: We have a situation here at work and it has been a constant problem with someone who “knows it all.” She said that a comma should always go after a date that goes ex: January 1, 2011. So, could you tell me if the following have the correct punctuation:
1. At the August 20, 2011 Board meeting, we decided to vote for a new design.
2. The Commission approved the April 6, 2011 Meeting Minutes.
3. Authorize execution of the agreement between the District, the City, and Disposal Services, Inc., for the contract period of July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012, for the cost of not to exceed the annual amount of $35,629.20.
4. The March 14, 2005 issue of Business Week is going to have a cover story on our CEO.
I’m not sure if that person at work “knows it all” or not, but she does know the rule that applies in this situation. According to Rule 5a under the “Commas” section, “Use a comma to separate the day of the month from the year and after the year.” Therefore, there should be commas after the years in each of your four sentences.
I read Comma rule 5a, and it doesn’t discuss when the date is used as an adjective. In all of the examples, the year (according to me) should not have a comma since one never puts a comma between an adjective and the noun it modifies: a young boy is not: a young,boy. Why do it after the year…I disagree. 5a doesn’t specify date as adjective. Can you find out more specifics on this situation? Thank you, Rochelle
The Chicago Manual of Style says, “Dates are often used as descriptive adjectives, more often today than in years past. If a month-year or month-day date is used as an adjective, no hyphen or comma is needed {October 31 festivities} {December 2003 financial statement}. If a full month-day-year date is used, then a comma is considered necessary both before and after the year {the May 18, 2002, commencement ceremonies}. ” They do, however, acknowledge that the construction is awkward and is best avoided. Therefore, Carmen could rewrite these sentences as follows:
At the Board meeting on August 20, 2011, we decided to vote for a new design.
The Commission approved the meeting minutes of April 6, 2011.
The Business Week issue of March 14, 2005, is going to have a cover story on our CEO.
This sentence is correct as written (except for a couple minor edits to the final phrase for readability):
Authorize execution of the agreement between the District, the City, and Disposal Services, Inc., for the contract period of July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012, for a cost not to exceed an annual amount of $35,629.20.
In the sentence below, can the date be written as with or without the year?
The next one is Friday, May 17.
As long as the year is clearly understood, you may write the date that way with or without the year.
Hi:) i wanted to ask that when do we use “the” before the date??
You would use the word “the” before an ordinal number when referring to a date, such as in the following examples:
The bill is due on the 15th of every month.
She was born on the 29th of July.
I am producing a marketing leaflet and would like to advertise that the service is available “24 hours per day, 7 days per week”. I have been told by the person approving the leaflet that the number seven needs to be spelled out. I understand that commonly numbers under 10 are spelled, but given that it’s within a sentence and is a commonly used term, it doesn’t seem right to me!
Grammatically, “24 hours per day, seven days per week” is correct. In the English Rules “Writing Numbers” section of this website, Rule 1 says, “Spell out single-digit whole numbers. Use numerals for numbers greater than nine.”
Rule 2 advises, “Be consistent within a category. For example, if you choose numerals because one of the numbers is greater than nine, use numerals for all numbers in that category. If you choose to spell out numbers because one of the numbers is a single digit, spell out all numbers in that category. If you have numbers in different categories, use numerals for one category and spell out the other.”
Since “24″ refers to hours and “7″ refers to days, “24 hours per day, seven days per week” is correct. I suspect that the reason this does not seem right to you is because of the frequent use of the phrase “24/7″ written that way in informal English.
When writing a date should the month/day/ year ever be separated from each other on to the next line?
Ex.
We went on vacation June
30, 2011.
or
We went on vacation June 30,
2011.
Personally, I don’t particularly like the look of dates carried over to the next line. However, I have not found any definitive resources that address this situation. The Chicago Manual of Style has an extensive section on word division but does not address dates at all. The only website I found that addresses this is businesswriting.com which notes, “Do not separate parts of dates, proper names, or addresses.”
Another comma question …
Which of the following is correct?
Join us Tuesday, October 11 at 2 PM.
or
Join us Tuesday, October 11, at 2 PM.
I understand using PM is not preferred to p.m. (lowercase previously was my preference).
Rule 5b in the “Commas” section of the English Rules on our website states, “If any part of the date is omitted, leave out the comma.” Since the year is missing from your date, you do not need a comma after the date. You do need a comma after Tuesday. I would recommend the use of complete numerals when exact times are being emphasized.
Join us Tuesday, October 11 at 2:00 PM. (I recommend using a.m. and p.m. but AM and PM may also be used.)
A colleague is insisting that it is correct to document in a legal record the time of 12:14 AM. This time of course is really fourteen minutes past midnight, if you don’t document time in a 24 hour method them how would you document the time 14 minutes past midnight? Thank you.
Fourteen minutes past midnight is 12:14 AM.
how would i write out a period of time e.g 4 hours and 43 mins.. in short form..
AP Stylebook recommends spelling out time sequences: 4 hours, 43 minutes.
Could we add time zones? What is the proper way to punctuate the following?
1) We are open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. P.S.T.
2) We are open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. P.S.T.
3) Same as 1) using “9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.”
4) Same as 2) using “9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.”
5) Should I consider using “Monday through Friday” instead of “Monday – Friday?”
6) We are available Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. P.S.T. to serve you.
This is for a business web page, but would it be different in other contexts?
Time zones, where needed, are usually given in parentheses and do not use periods. The en dash is most often used with numbers and signifies up to and including (or through). Also, Chicago Manual of Style states, “For the sake of parallel construction, the word to, never the en dash, should be used if the word from precedes the first element in such a pair.” A.M. and P.M., AM and PM, and a.m. and p.m., are all acceptable but I am selecting AM and PM for simplicity. For a business web page or any other context, all of the following are grammatically correct :
We are open seven days a week from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PST).
We are open Monday—Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PST).
We are open seven days a week, 9:00 AM—5:00 PM (PST).
We are open Monday—Friday, 9:00 AM—5:00 PM (PST).
We are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PST).
We are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM—5:00 PM (PST) to serve you.
Is it proper to say “5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.” or “5:00-7:00 p.m.”?
An en dash, roughly the width of an n, is a little longer than a hyphen. It is used to signify up to and including (or through). Most authorities recommend using no spaces before or after en dash. To form an en dash with most PCs, type the first number or word, then hold down the ALT key while typing 0150 on the numerical pad on the right side of your keyboard. Then type the second number or word.
Either 5:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m. or 5:00—7:00 p.m. are correct.
My question is do you treat an abbrevited year the same as you would as if it was written out?
Her deposition was taken sometime in March ’06.
Is there a comma between March and ’06? (March, ’06) I cannot add “of” after in as I’m transcribing part of a hearing so I cannot add or subtract any words. I have to work with what they say but I do add punctuation.
Rule 5b in the “Commas” section of the English Rules on our website states, “If any part of the date is omitted, leave out the comma.” This would also apply to an abbreviated year. The Chicago Manual of Style does not recommend the use of the abbreviated year except in informal contexts.
Her deposition was taken some time in March ’06. (informal)
Her deposition was taken some time in March 2006.
Is it grammatically correct to write 2012 as ’012?
You may follow the guidance in Rule 10 of the “Writing Numbers” section on our website. In addition, The Chicago Manual of Style says, “In informal contexts, the first two digits of a particular year are often replaced by an apostrophe (not an opening single quotation mark).” Therefore, it is acceptable to write ’12 in an informal context.
When using a date to reference a report, is is always necessary to put a comma between the month and the year for example:
Report of Dogs, December 2012
or
Report of Dogs, December, 2012
When only the month and year are given, a comma is not used.
Do you require a comma when writing the date with ‘st’ or ‘nd’?
Please respond by April 21st 2012
or
Please respond by April 21st, 2012
You may infer from our Rule 8 of Writing Numbers that you should not add the st when writing dates in that format. More specifically, The Chicago Manual of Style states, “When specific dates are expressed, cardinal numbers are used although these may be pronounced as ordinals. Therefore, when you write a specific date, do not add st or th.”
Please respond by April 21, 2012. Alternatively, you may write: Please respond by the 21st of April, 2012.
How do you write 10:30 on an invitation? Is it:
A) “Ten Thirty”
or
B) “Ten-Thirty”
“Ten thirty” is correct.
Do you use a comma after a date when the year is not used? For example: You are invited to attend Parent Night on February 9, to learn more about North Carolina’s new high school program, Career and College Promise.
Rule 5b in the “Commas” section of Grammarbook.com states, “If any part of the date is omitted, leave out the comma.”
I’ve noticed that you advise people that it is AP Style to write full hours like this: 3:00 p.m. Actually, that has never been AP Style. It is AP Style to use only the number for whole hours, i.e. 3 p.m., and 3:15 p.m. for the hour and exact minutes. Thanks. I’m a former AP journalist.
Thank you for your clarification. The AP Stylebook does recommend using only the number for whole hours. It is The Chicago Manual of Style that recommends using zeros for even hours when exact times are emphasized, e.g., “The train leaves at 5:00 p.m.”
How do you write the following dates correctly on an invoice for dates work performed?
1/1/12 – 1/17/12 or 1/1 – 1/17.
also:
1/1/12 & 1/2/12 or 1/1 & 1/2.
I recommend that the year be included on an invoice.
1/1/12—1/17/12
1/1/12 & 1/2/12
WHICH IS CORRECT: ONE AND A HALF YEAR OR ONE YEAR AND A HALF?
Rule 4 of the Writing Numbers section of our website tells us that One and one-half years is preferred in formal writing, especially if starting a sentence. If not the beginning of a sentence, “I have worked at my job for 1 1/2 years” is acceptable.
Writing Dates on Invitations?
Saturday, May 1st
7-10pm
123 Main Street
Washington, DC
Kindly reply by April 20th
is the above correct or do we delete the st and th?
As shown in Rule 8 of “Writing Numbers,” the dates should be referred to as either May 1 and April 20, or as the 1st of May and the 20th of April.
Which is correct? Failure to appear AT the above date and time may result….
or
Failure to appear ON the above date and time may result….
ON seems to work for the word “date” , but AT seems to work for the word time.
Since the word date appears first, I recommend using on.
Failure to appear on the above date and time may result…
Which is correct?
9:00 o’clock a.m.
or just 9:00 a.m.
Aren’t they saying the same thing? One is more formal than the other?
Is the first one redundant?
Yes, the first one is redundant. Rule 13 in our “Writing Numbers” section states, ” Use numerals with the time of day when exact times are being emphasized or when using a.m. or p.m.”
If the spoken word is I got home at 6. What is the proper written terms?
or I got home at 6 o’clock. What is the proper written terms?
You could write I got home at six o’clock. However, if you want to clarify whether it is 6:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m., use numerals. I got home at 6:00 p.m.
Hello,
When we hire an employee who has pre-scheduled vacations, we incorporate those dates into their offer letter. Could you please clarify the correct way to write the dates?
Here is an example that was provided to me:
“As we discussed, you are approved for time off with-out pay for the following dates for prescheduled vacations July 4, – 8, 2012, and August 15, – 17, 2012.”
Thank you!
You do not need to use an extra comma before the en dash. There should be a colon after the word vacations. Also, the word without is not hyphenated. Since this is a formal document, you may wish to use previously scheduled instead of prescheduled.
As we discussed, you are approved for time off without pay for the following dates for previously scheduled vacations: July 4—8, 2012, and August 15—17, 2012.
Which of these two sentences is correct?
June 30, 2012, is the date the paper is due.
June 30, 2012 is the date the paper is due.
Rule 5a of the “Commas” section of our website says, “Use a comma to separate the day of the month from the year and after the year.” Therefore your first sentence is correct. However, I will suggest that a more direct sentence could be, “The paper is due June 30, 2012.”
Is it ever correct to use the abbreviation “hrs” to indicate a time, for instance, on an agenda:
“09.00 – 10.00 hrs – minutes of previous meeting”?
If one is taking minutes for a meeting, the correct format for your example would be 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. There would be no reason to use the word hours unless you were speaking about a time frame such as “The meeting lasted two hours.” However, if you are in the military, you would express the time as 0900–1000 or 0900–1000 hrs. Adding the abbreviation hrs would be optional for clarity.
Hi,
I asked the question above about time zones (11/4/11). Thanks for your answer! This is a follow-up.
I subsequently decided to use the words “Pacific Time” in parentheses similarly to the way you use “PST” in your answer. (I dropped the “S” because my business hours vary between between PST and PDT along with everyone else’s.)
Then I looked at the Chicago Manual of Style and discovered that while “Pacific” is treated as a proper name and capitalized, both “standard” and “time” are not. So it would be “Pacific standard time” and, for example, EST would be “eastern standard time.” One would presumably put these in parentheses.
So I gather that one would write:
We are open seven days a week from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Pacific standard time).
My question is whether this is correct? I have never noticed another case in which the Chicago Manual of Style seems to be so at odds with common usage. Even the American Heritage Dictionary entry for Eastern Standard Time has all three words capitalized and mentions that it is “also called Eastern Time.”
Thanks!
Mike
AP Stylebook seems to agree with you. Their rule says, “Capitalize the full name of the time in force within a particular zone: Eastern Standard Time, Eastern Daylight Time, Central Standard Time, etc.” In the end it is up to you to decide which style manual to follow and then be consistent. It may be easier to stick with the abbreviation.
If you were to leave out the day (Saturday) in the following example, would you still need to include a comma after the year?
The conference will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at 1:00 P.M.
The deadline to submit a proposal is February 4, 2012 at 1:00 P.M.
Even though Rule 5b in the “Commas” section of our website says, “If any part of the date is omitted, leave out the comma,” the day of the week is not considered part of the actual date (month, day, year), therefore, you still need to include the comma.
The deadline to submit a proposal is February 4, 2012, at 1:00 P.M.
Hi,
Just wondering which of these is correct;
Join us on Monday the 17th of March…
or
Join us on Monday 17th March…
Thanks.
Since there is a natural tendency to pause slightly after the word Monday when your sentence is spoken, I recommend “Join us on Monday, the 17th of March.” However, since there is no hard and fast rule on this, “Join us on Monday the 17th of March” also is acceptable. Even better would be rephrasing the sentence to “Join us on Monday, March 17.”
In addressing the year for e.g. Year 2000 at the end of a sentence, “…the company was established in 2000″. Should it be “…established in the year 2000″? or just “in 2000″?
It is clearer for the reader if you write “established in the year 2000,” but “established in 2000″ is acceptable.
Ok, thank you…
How about the use of the word “the” in dates, specifically when spoken?
I hear people say “March the 31st.”
“March the 31st” is common and acceptable in spoken English. In the context of a written sentence, however, I recommend either “The meeting will be held on the 31st of March” or “The meeting will be held on March 31,” as per Rule 8 of Writing Numbers.
is it correct?
An allegation that you abandoned your duties during a rostered shift at your place of work London on 7th April 2012.
also what should be the order of following in a sentence
at (place) on (date) at (time)
Your example is not a complete sentence. Also, th is not used with a complete date.
The sentence could be: There is an allegation (or, An allegation has been lodged) that you abandoned your duties during a rostered shift at your place of work in London on April 7, 2012. (In many locations outside the United States the date may be expressed as 7 April, 2012.)
There are no particular rules regarding the order of place, date, time in a sentence other than what flows most logically.
If the rule states that dates should be 29th of June or June 29, why is that just about everyone, even in the media, writes June 29th and sometimes they even write it June 29th, 2012. Have the rules changed?
No, the rules have not changed. Not everyone (including the media) is as conscientious as you are when it comes to proper grammar.
I was always taught the correct way to write a date was: December 7, 1941. Not December 7th, 1941 or November 3rd, 2012.
So why do people now add the “th” or “rd” after the day in the date?
And also people who are not aware uh-uh is a word in the dictionary. As a person who was a court reporter with Los Angeles Superior Court for over 20 years and who now does scoping for court reporters, I constantly see uh-uh spelled as huh-uh or ungh-uh, which looks like the sound of some root-eating animal snorting.
Perhaps all the people who grew up learning to read and write by spelling things as they sounded, which method has long fallen out of favor. And many people are just lazy and would rather die than look up a word in a dictionary or even to Google something to learn how a word is spelled.
You are correct about the proper way to write the date. People are likely writing th and rd (along with nd, st) because they are not differentiating between spoken and proper written English. It would be nice if the availability of internet search engines as well as dictionaries on the internet resulted in better spelling by everyone.
Please help! What is the correct way to write the following month/year when a specific date is not provided?
Is it April, 2012 or April 2012?
If only the month and year are shown, do not separate with a comma.
In business writing, is it proper to reference the date of a report as, 1/12/09, or should it be spelled out?
Spell the date out in formal writing.
Can’t believe I have a third question about time zones! And I can’t believe the length and complexity of this thread! Thanks so much, Jane!
How would you write the following: Our week begins at 12:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) Monday and ends at 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) Sunday. Weekly invoices must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) Monday. Invoice amounts will be available by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) Wednesday each week.
If you were writing this for people in different time zones, I wonder:
1) Where would you put the parenthetical time zone references?
2) Do I have to keep repeating “(Pacific Time)?”
3) Where could I put “(Pacific Time)” to have the smallest number of repetitions?
Thanks again!
P.S. If you can do something with the “weekly” and “each week,” that would be great too!
The time zones are essential information, therefore I recommend not placing them in parentheses. You could repeat them or, alternatively, word it this way:
All times referred to are Pacific Time. (Alternatively: All times referred to are Pacific Standard Time or Pacific Daylight Time, as appropriate.) Our week begins at 12:00 a.m. each Monday and ends at 11:59 p.m. each Sunday. Weekly invoices must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. each Monday. Invoice amounts will be available by 11:59 p.m. each Wednesday.
I am having a lot of confusion with comma’s in dates. Can you please properly punctuate the following:
1. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010 the balance was zero.
(do you use a comma after 2011 or 2010 or not at all?)
2. As of December 31, 2011 or 2010 the District did not have any investments.
3. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010 $0 of the funds balance was exposed to risk.
Thank You
Your sentences are confusing as written. Normally, as of is used in place of on, at, or from in relation to a single specific date, not several dates. Since you are dealing with financial matters, you would be better off rewriting the sentences such that there can be no confusion. Our rules 5a and 5b in the “Commas” section state, “Use a comma to separate the day of the month from the year and after the year,” and “If any part of the date is omitted, leave out the comma,” respectively. Some potential revisions, depending on your exact meaning, could be:
“The balance was zero on both December 31, 2010, and December 31, 2011.” Perhaps this could also be written as “The balance was zero on December 31 of both 2010 and 2011.”
“The District did not have any investments on either December 31, 2010, or December 31, 2011.” OR “The District did not have any investments on December 31 of either 2010 or 2011.”
“None of the fund’s balance was exposed to risk in 2010 or 2011.”
Unfortunately, due to state regulations, we have to write them as stated and different towns have it written different ways so I was just trying to get some clarification, hence the reason for my confusion. Thank you for your input.
Here’s situation that I come across regularly. It may come up regarding a series of events spanning multiple months, for instance “March 4, 11, 18 and 25, and April 1, 8 and 15, 2012.”
It looks somewhat odd with when it is something such as “March 18 and 25, and April 1.”
Would that be the proper way to punctuate the dates?
There is no one perfect way to do this; you have choices. Here are possibilities using our Rule 1 for Commas, Rule 4 for Semicolons, or just different wording.
March 4, 11, 18, and 25; April 1, 8, and 15, 2012 OR
Each Sunday from March 4 through April 15, 2012. OR
Though cumbersome, grammatically correct: March 4, March 11, March 18, March 25, April 1, April 8, and April 15, 2012
March 18, 25, and April 1 is probably fine since there are only three items in the series. OR
Each Sunday, March 18 through April 1. OR
March 18, March 25, and April 1
Oh, and I might add the construction: “March 31, April 7, 14 and 21.” Or should it be: “March 31 and April 7, 14 and 21″?
March 31; April 7, 14, and 21 OR
March 31, April 7, April 14, and April 21 OR
Each Saturday from March 31 through April 21
Great! Thanks for the help.
Do you put a comma after the month in a sentence like this: …since the 2nd of September 2011.
Yes, you do need to put a comma after the month.
Hi,
I need some help, please. Some examples (commas in time setences):
a) “Three hours, five minutes, thirty-five seconds ago, I went…”
b) “Comment posted 3 hours, 4 minutes, 35 seconds ago.”
c) “That game lasted three hours, four minutes, (and) 35 seconds” or “That game lasted three hours five minutes 35 seconds” or “That game lasted 3 hours 5 minutes 35 seconds”
d) “Remaining time to close: 3 hours, 4 minutes, 35 seconds”
Are all this examples correct or acceptable?
Thank you very much,
Manuel
AP Stylebook recommends spelling out time sequences and using commas. They do not address the use of and directly. Their one example of time sequences is “Spell out: 50 hours, 23 minutes, 14 seconds.” It is up to the writer as there is no rule against using and. It seems like and would be best used in examples a and c, which sound more like conversational sentences. Examples b and d sound like something that would be posted on a website rather than used in spoken English.
Three hours, five minutes, and thirty-five seconds ago I went…
Comment posted three hours, four minutes, thirty-five seconds ago.
That game lasted three hours, four minutes, and thirty-five seconds.
Remaining time to close: three hours, four minutes, thirty-five seconds
5 days a week;
5 day a week;
5 day week;
which one is correct?
You need to use a plural noun, therefore, 5 days a week is correct.
If the spoken word is “I work 9 to 5 or sometimes 2 to 10″. Which way should it be written?
I work nine to five or sometimes two to ten? OR
I work 9:00 to 5:00 or sometimes 2:00 to 10:00?
I was always taught that 2:00 would imply that o’clock was spoken when the time was given. I don’t know which it should be.
You are correct that “2:00″ would imply that o’clock is spoken. Times of day in even, half, and quarter hours are usually spelled out in text. I work nine to five or sometimes two to ten. Since it is a common expression, “9 to 5″ is often written in numerals.
I apologize if you have answered this question already. Is a comma required between a plural day of the week and the dates? Example: Sundays May 20 – June 17, 2012 Thank you.
There is no particular rule covering this construction, but it is easier to read with a comma: Sundays, May 20–June 17, 2012. Note that most authorities recommend not using spaces before or after the en dash. However, your phrase might be more clear rewritten as:
Sundays, from May 20 through June 17, 2012.