# Does one use ordinal numbers in commercial writing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414 "2013-12-03T23:02:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/21 "2013-12-04T12:43:45Z")
Tuesday, 1 April 2014. No comma between April and 2014. That’s just weird. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/22 "2013-12-04T12:49:59Z")
I was always taught that you shouldn’t use the ordinal in writing. You write it as April 1 but read it as “April the first”. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/23 "2013-12-04T15:39:58Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Dear Americans. Stop trying to impose your idiosyncrasies on the rest of us, even as your short-lived empire crumbles from within. Never mind a sensible date format, you are so resistant to rational change that you won’t even use the metric system, or dollar coins, or sales tax included in the posted price, or banknotes where the different values actually look distinctive. Get with the modern world. > > Sincerely, > Not just Britain, but all the rest of the world. Dear World, What was that you wrote? Americans look at the rest of the world’s writing through a backwards telescope and get to laugh at the tiny little words and noises that sputter from the ants who think that their scurrying around is supposed to do anything but amuse us until we step on them. Sincerely, American who will now buy a brand new pair of shoes, maybe a dozen or twenty, because the current pair has ant guts on the sole ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/24 "2013-12-05T03:02:10Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > I think your solution is fine for your writing. > > For completeness, I offer this depiction of ISO 8601 for writing dates as numbers: > [XKCD ISO 8601 Public Service Announcement](http://xkcd.com/1179/) Wait, the ISO is headquartered in Geneva, and not a good, Merkin Geneva, like Geneva, Illinois, Minnesota, or Ohio. Why would we–Yanks, Brits, or Strines–let the bloody SWISS push us around? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/25 "2013-12-05T05:24:29Z")
Because it is always wise to be nice to people who make good chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/26 "2013-12-05T06:47:36Z")
They yy/mm/dd system is much better when you have loads of email correspondence since it it sorts out the file order logically. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/27 "2013-12-05T07:14:34Z")
Even better: yyyy-mm-dd. Reduces ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/28 "2013-12-05T07:19:24Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > Need answer fast! Actually, I do. I’m proofreading a brochure for a friend and the dates in it are as so: Tuesday, April 01st, 2014. To my eyes, this is an odd combination of styles. In particular, I was taught that you don’t use ordinal numbers in formal writing. > > I am inclined to change the dates to: Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Would you agree? Is there a different rule for British English, I am wondering? Your are correct. While ordinals may show up in writing, they are not used for dates. The rule is the same for American and British English. What is different is that there is no comma before the year in British English. (And, of course, the date comes first. One is pretty much the reason for the other–you don’t have two numbers in a row with British English.) You are also correct in removing the leading 0. Unless you would actually say oh-one or zero-one, you don’t need the 0. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/29 "2013-12-05T07:26:09Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I was always taught that you shouldn’t use the ordinal in writing. You write it as April 1 but read it as “April the first”. I don’t know about the word “the,” but, otherwise, that’s what I was taught. you write the cardinal but read the ordinal. With British style, you add the word “of,” and, yes, possibly “the,” i.e. “the first of April, twenty-fourteen,” but “April first, twenty-fourteen.” And let’s not get into an argument over whether one should say “twenty-fourteen” or “two thousand fourteen,” please. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/30 "2013-12-05T07:37:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And let’s not get into an argument over whether one should say “twenty-fourteen” or “two thousand _ **and** _ fourteen,” please. Fixed that for you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/31 "2013-12-05T08:14:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t know about the word “the,” but, otherwise, that’s what I was taught. you write the cardinal but read the ordinal. With British style, you add the word “of,” and, yes, possibly “the,” i.e. “the first of April, twenty-fourteen,” but “April first, twenty-fourteen.” > > And let’s not get into an argument over whether one should say “twenty-fourteen” or “two thousand fourteen,” please. Quite right - especially when, (obviously) we’re _supposed_ to say two zero one four ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/32 "2013-12-05T08:15:31Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > They yy/mm/dd system is much better when you have loads of email correspondence since it it sorts out the file order logically. This is how all my photos are filed ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/33 "2013-12-05T08:37:26Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Why would we–Yanks, Brits, or Strines–let the bloody SWISS push us around? :mad: Swiss? It’s the [International Organization for Standardization](http://www.iso.org/iso/home.html), and please note the American spelling. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/34 "2013-12-05T10:25:36Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Even better: yyyy-mm-dd. Reduces ambiguity. You say that now, but what happens when the Y10K problem comes round? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/35 "2013-12-05T14:50:27Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Dear Americans. Stop trying to impose your idiosyncrasies on the rest of us, even as your short-lived empire crumbles from within. Never mind a sensible date format, you are so resistant to rational change that you won’t even use the metric system, or dollar coins, or sales tax included in the posted price, or banknotes where the different values actually look distinctive. Get with the modern world. > > Sincerely, > Not just Britain, but all the rest of the world. 谢谢! (_Xièxiè_, “thanks”, in Chinese.) yyyy-mm-dd is the way to go! I’m sick of the hodge-podge of date formats and measurement units we use here in Canada. What am I supposed to make of a receipt labeled 10/11/12? The debilitating measurement influence of the US has left us in a hideous _between_ state, neither fish nor fowl, US nor Metric nor Imperial. Time for us to suck it up and leave the US behind. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/36 "2013-12-05T15:08:26Z")
According to Strunk & White, “April 1” and “the 1st of April” are correct. April 1st is incorrect, despite being common in speech. April 01st is just plain goofy looking, and would catch anyone’s eye as being odd. Now, S&W isn’t the be-all and end-all of correct grammar, but if you follow it, you have a leg to stand on if anyone brings it up. Also, if you follow S&W, you’ll be following a style that’s been widely recognized for a long time. It may not be best, but it’s nearly always safe. I’d omit leading zeros unless using the date in a format such as 2013-04-01 (which I wouldn’t use in this context.) ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/37 "2013-12-05T15:11:36Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > yyyy-mm-dd is the way to go! That’s what I always use, especially in spreadsheets, file names, or status report subject lines, etc. In addition to being unambiguous (since thank goodness yyyy-dd-mm isn’t a standard anywhere), it sorts correctly! Unfortunately, few people here in the US use it. That won’t stop me, since people here can read it without difficulty. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/38 "2013-12-05T15:43:29Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Wait, the ISO is headquartered in Geneva, and not a good, Merkin Geneva, like Geneva, Illinois, Minnesota, or Ohio. Why would we–Yanks, Brits, or Strines–let the bloody SWISS push us around? :mad: Hey, wait a minute :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/39 "2013-12-05T15:56:11Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And let’s not get into an argument over whether one should say “twenty-fourteen” or “two thousand and fourteen,” please. > [@UDS](#): > > Fixed that for you. 😃 Now you’ve ‘fixed’ it to read 2000.14. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414/40 "2013-12-05T15:56:27Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Because it is always wise to be nice to people who make good chocolate. Thanks Celyn. Anyway, viewed from here it’s hilarious hearing Anglos belittling each other with such a delectable sense of humor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-use-ordinal-numbers-in-commercial-writing/675414.md?page=3)