TX Native Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 (edited) Our grammar program teaches to add a comma after a city/state and month/day/year combo mid-sentence regardless of a comma needing to be in the place for a different rule. This is new to me! I feel cheated out of a proper punctuation education. Our grammar book would teach this: Incorrect: June 1, 2000 is my birthday. Correct: June 1, 2000, is my birthday Incorrect: The weather in Chicago, Illinois is often windy. Correct: The weather in Chicago, Illinois, is often windy. I consulted 2 retired school teachers on this. They taught elementary-middle school grades. They say our grammar book is incorrect. According to them, a comma is only needed after a complete date or city/state combo if a comma would be placed there for another reason (such as occurring before a conjunction or after a prepositional phrase.). I casually asked a homeschool senior what she was taught. She was taught the same as the retired teachers. I asked which grammar program she used, but she does not remember which program taught her the rules for commas, Google search tells me the grammar book is correct, but my above incorrect examples are common enough that the correct way appears incorrect to most people. Are there conflicting sources about this? Is the rule outdated? Is it common knowledge among most upper level instructors? ETA: Edited several times for grammatical errors, lol. I am certain there are still errors. 😉 Edited February 11, 2017 by TX native Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 We use Rod & Staff for grammar, and from what I remember, it teaches this. That's the way I do it, but I will also say that it is a common mistake that I would see when I used to do proofreading for others. Erica in OR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaredluvsjoanie Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Your grammar book, every grammar book that I own, and all my years of schooling agree. :) This is the first time I have ever heard that a comma after the state or year mid-sentence is incorrect. Indeed, every teacher I had from elementary through high school would likely have a stroke upon hearing this bit of "blasphemy." Now, it IS true that a comma is not used between the state and the ZIP code in an address, but that is not the question you asked. I am interested to hear what others have to say! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Based on Faith Academy Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Abeka teaches is the same way as your grammar book and in my 13 years of homeschooling all the books we used taught that way also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Your teachers friends are incorrect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Our grammar program teaches to add a comma after a city/state and month/day/year combo mid-sentence regardless of a common needing to be in the place for a different rule. This is new to me! I feel cheated out of a proper punctuation education. Our grammar book would teach this: Incorrect: June 1, 2000 is my birthday. Correct: June 1, 2000, is my birthday Incorrect: The weather in Chicago, Illinois is often windy. Correct: The weather in Chicago, Illinois, is often windy. I consulted 2 retired school teachers on this. They taught elementary-middle school grades. They say our grammar book is incorrect. According to them, a comma is only needed after a complete date or city/state combo if a comma would be placed there for another reason (such as occurring before a conjunction or after a prepositional phrase.). I casually asked a homeschool senior what she was taught. She was taught the same as the retired teachers. I asked which grammar program she used, but she does not remember which program taught her the rules for commas, Google search tells me the grammar book is correct, but my above incorrect examples are common enough that the correct way appears incorrect to most people. Are there conflicting sources about this? Is the rule outdated? Is it common knowledge among most upper level instructors? Yeah, you were cheated. It is common usage now to drop that second comma, but that's just wrong. If you do that, instead of an appositive, you have a comma splice--two sentences joined with a comma: The weather in Chicago. Illinois is often windy. See? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX Native Posted February 11, 2017 Author Share Posted February 11, 2017 Thank you! Even though I don't post often, you are all free to gently correct any of my comma errors in the future. 😉 I still have a long way fo go refining other areas of grammar. Thankfully, I am learning right along with my kids. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 My go to resource for questions like this is Purdue Owl. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamoose Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Technical writers here,and the textbook is, technically, correct. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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