How to write dates in English accurately is a very important question. This is something very essential to teach students. We start writing dates when we start going to school. Writing dates accurately is a very important thing. There are a variety of ways that can be used to write dates. But the common ways are British and American English.
So, in this blog, we will discuss and learn how to write dates in English. We will also discuss the two common formats of writing dates. So, scroll down to learn how to write dates in English.
The Date Format In British English
The day is followed by the month, which is then followed by the year in British English. It is mostly used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, India, and other nations inspired by Britain. Let’s see the following examples;
- 9 Mar
- 9 March
- 9 March 2020
- 9th March 2020
- The 9th of March 2020
- The 9th of March, 2020
The last two date types are the most official ones. While “the” and “of” are optional, if you use them, you must include both “the” and “of.” It is incorrect to simply mention “February 8th” or “February 8th.” In British English, commas are not required when writing the year. But you can use if you want. When adding the name of the day to your date, place it before the date and separate it with a comma or combine it with “the” and “of.”
- Monday, 9 March 2020
- Monday, the 9th of March, 2020
The Date Format in American English
The month comes before the day in American English, followed by the year. Continuing with the previous example: The date in American English for the 9th day of March in the year 2020 should be written as
- Mar 9
- March 9
- March 9, 2020
- Monday, March 9, 2020
How To Write The Year
Except at the start of a phrase, years should be indicated in numbers. Most of the styles believe that beginning a sentence with a numerical form is bad form. Hence years should be written out as words at the start of a sentence.
Expressing a year in words, American authors rarely use, while it is popular in British English. Both of them are right. For example;
- A lot of things happened in the political world in 2016.
- Two thousand and sixteen was a year of the turning point in politics.
How To Write The Month And Year
Use basic numerals (one, two, three) instead of ordinal numbers when referring to a specific day in the month-day date format. When we “talk” of dates, we usually use ordinal numerals, which may seem confusing.
For example, instead of saying March 9th, 2020, one would write March ninth two thousand twenty. Ordinals are occasionally used in British English; they are appropriate to use when writing dates. But they are not needed, as our example shows;
- Samuel was born on March 9.
- On March 9, 2002, Samuel was born.
How To Write dates Along With Days Of The Week
To ensure readability, use a comma after the days of the week when writing a long-form date. For example;
- Monday, March 9, 2020
How To Write Centuries
When we write the 1800s, for example, we’re talking to the years 1800 through 1899. There are one hundred separate years within the range; that is, more than one: a plural. In all small letters, we might alternatively refer to those years as the nineteenth century.
- Bonnets were popular among women in the 1800s.
How To Write Decades
This is how you should think about using numbers to write decades. They are both abbreviations and plurals. “My father was born in the 1940s” can be shortened to “My father was born in the ’40s.” The apostrophe (rather than a single quote mark) denotes the location of the two-century digits if they were included. There’s no need for an apostrophe between the zero and the s—doing so would make the word possessive.
- In the ’80s, I had a hairstyle inspired by A Flock of Seagulls’ lead singer.
- In the eighties, I had a hairstyle inspired by A Flock of Seagulls’ lead singer.
Writing Dates As Numerals
Although all-numeral date styles should not be used in official writing. They may be suitable in some circumstances. When you do, keep in mind that not all nations use digits to describe dates in the same manner.
The month/day/year date format is used in the United States. The United Kingdom and much of Europe use the day/month/year format. While most Asian nations use the year/monthhelp/day format. Depending on the situation, several countries use a combination of these. If we take an example, Canada uses all three formats. But it depends on who is the recipient of the communication.
So, if you’re an American and invite a British friend to spend Independence Day with you on 7/4, you may plan your guest to arrive on April 7. Which he will express as 7 April. Similarly, if he invites you to his Guy Fawkes Day celebration on 5/11, you’ll need to mark November 5 on your calendar instead of May 11.
Conclusion
So, above we have discussed how to write dates in English. It is important to know how to write dates in English. It is also an essential thing in our day-to-day life. If we write a letter (informal and formal), email, etc, to someone we have to mention the date. It is compulsory to know the right format of writing date. So, I hope the above blog on how to write dates in English helps you in learning and writing dates.
