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Goronsky Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Those pesky commas

The Montgomery, Alabama, teen was reported missing.
(I say that the comma can be omitted after 'Alabama'. Do you agree?)

The February 15th, 2015, meeting has been canceled.
(Can we omit the comma after '2015'?)

January 6, 1964, is my date of birth.
(Can we omit the comma after '1964'?)
  

Top answer

Many writers are omitting this second comma, which used to follow the rule "Anything set off from a previous text with a comma must be separated from the following text by a comma". I think it's a rule that needs to be discarded in many cases (such as yours). , since January 6, 2014, with his new wife.

  • Many writers are omitting this second comma, which used to follow the rule "Anything set off from a previous text with a comma must be separated from the following text by a comma".
  • I think it's a rule that needs to be discarded in many cases (such as yours).
  • , since January 6, 2014, with his new wife.
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3 Answers
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Many writers are omitting this second comma, which used to follow the rule "Anything set off from a previous text with a comma must be separated from the following text by a comma". I think it's a rule that needs to be discarded in many cases (such as yours). Consider: He has been living in Washington, D.C., since January 6, 2014, with his new wife.
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So, these are correct? Those extra commas in the originals add nothing. Do you agree with all examples below, Philip?

The Montgomery, Alabama teen was reported missing.

The February 15th, 2015 meeting has been canceled.

January 6th, 1964 is my date of birth.

He has been living in Washington, D.C. since January 6, 2014 with his new wife.
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That's how I would punctuate them.

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