Saying dates: Do you say July four or July fourth?

A statue of George Washington stands in front of Federal Hall overlooking Wall Street, where he was sworn in as the first President of the United States in 1789.

This Saturday is U.S. Independence Day, which is often referred to as the Fourth of July! It’s the only holiday, as far as I know, that is also commonly known by its date. As such, it gives us a good example of how we say dates in English, particularly in American English.

• As such – because of this

Indeed, expressing dates orally and in writing can be tricky for English learners. What’s the best way to say dates? Do you say July four or July fourth? August three or August third? (This is just a random date.) Well, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

• Indeed – definitely; yes
• tricky – challenging; not easy

When saying dates, …

1. Use ordinal numbers–in other words, say first, second, third, …
2. When you say the date before the month, use the definite article “the” and the preposition “of.”

Here are some examples:

• July 4 can be expressed as “July fourth” or “the fourth of July.”
• Jan. 1 can be expressed as “January first” or “the first of January.”
• Dec. 25 can be said as “December twenty-fifth” or “the twenty-fifth of December.”

You get the picture.

• You get the picture – I’m sure you understand; you understand, right?

As far as writing down dates, there are a few possibilities. You can use the abbreviation of the month or you can write it out; you can also use numbers. However, the main thing to remember is that in the U.S., we almost always place the month first before the date.

In other words, we can write August 7, 2015; Aug. 7, 2015; 8/7/2015; or 8 – 7 – 2015.

However, you might find exceptions to this convention in formal documents and for famous dates, especially the Fourth of July. Remember, we use ordinal numbers when we speak; however, we usually just use cardinal numbers when we write.

• convention – accepted practice
• cardinal numbers – 1, 2, 3, … (not ordinal: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, …)

That’s it, folks! I hope this lesson cleared up the issue of using dates in English, especially if you’ve been wondering about it.

Thanks for checking out this lesson. Please share it with people who might benefit, and come back for more quick English lessons!

Until next time! Happy Fourth of July!

Joe, the small English guide