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MFG Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Unnecesary commas& Sentence flow

Can I leave out commas after each year, country and state below ?they seem unecesary and slow up the rhythm & flow of the sentences. Do you agree that they are not needed in each ?

Lou said, "January 27, 1945 is my sister's birthdate."
Can I leave out comma after "1945?"

Gary said, "The July 23, 2013 meeting was cancelled."
Can I leave out comma after "2013?"

Herman said, "The Carmel, NY rock band hit No 1 on the charts."
Can I leave out comma after "NY?"

Sam said, "Carmel, NY is a great place to live."
Can I leave out comma after "NY?"

Drew said, "Prague, Czechoslovakia is my mom's birthplace."
Can I leave out comma after "Czechoslovakia?"
  

Top answer

MFG Do you agree that they are not needed in each ? Informally, yes; formally, no. Check with your editor.

— Mister Micawber

  • MFG Do you agree that they are not needed in each ?
  • Informally, yes; formally, no.
  • Check with your editor.
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25 Answers
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MFG Do you agree that they are not needed in each ?
Informally, yes; formally, no. Check with your editor.
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These are correct.

Lou said, "January 27, 1945, is my sister's birthdate."

Gary said, "The July 23, 2013, meeting was cancelled."

Herman said, "The Carmel, NY, rock band hit No 1 number one on the charts."

Sam said, "Carmel, NY, is a great place to live."

Drew said, "Prague, Czechoslovakia, is my mom's birthplace."

The
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goronskyThis is a firmly entrenched form of punctuation that is unlikely to change.
No, sorry—never 'firmly entrenched' and it has already changed, particularly in journalism. Interesting that you are both from the same IP, though. Are you Siamese twins?
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Roommates in college. When she posts and doesn't get an answer that I approve of, I chime in.
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Please cite a reference that shows this has changed.
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Please site your own references that it is 'a firmly entrenched form of punctuation that is unlikely to change'.
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The Gregg Reference Manual, 10th and 11th editions. Now please cite yours to show this has changed (as you said). Did you mean 'cite' above?
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goronskyDid you mean 'cite' above?
Yes, I did. I cannot find any rogue style manuals. My Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses & Dissertations and my MLA Handbook confirm your commas in that date format but are silent on the addresses laid out that way.
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I was going to buy A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses & Dissertations. Is it worth the money, if you don't mind my asking? Is it the one by Kate L Turabian?
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goronskys it the one by Kate L Turabian?
Yes.
goronskyIs it worth the money, if you don't mind my asking?
I think so—it addresses those particular genre more specifically.
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