1. Commas in Dates and Geographic Units
Writing Lab
Commas in Dates and Geographic Units

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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