As a writing coach, I often get challenged on grammar rules, especially concerning comma usage, based on the remark, "But, that doesn't look right!"
Recently, I received this exact response from a writer when I added a comma to a date he wrote. The spellcheck on Word even underlined the date after I added the comma, and he showed the blue underline to me as evidence that he was right. However, when I showed the writer the grammar rule, he realized spellcheck and his eyes were wrong!
Do you determine how to use a comma based on how a sentence looks? Does the sentence below look correct?
Original Sentence: Friday, October 1, 2021 was the last date of participant interviews.
Though the first two commas in this date are correct, the sentence needs another comma after the year. So, the corrected sentence is below:
Revised Sentence: Friday, October 1, 2021, was the last date of participant interview.
Though this sentence may not "look" right, a writer needs to place a comma after the year of a date when it includes the month and day.
Cultivating Writers...one tip at a time!
