Comma Help - Dates

[gerberdaisy]

I'm proofreading a report for work and need some quick help.  Dates and commas. In the following sentence where do commas go?


The examination period covered January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018, for XXXX.  


Is there a comma after 2016?  I can't find the answer through google and we have differing opinions in our office.  

Thanks!

[candreco]

No, you don't need a comma after 2016.

[af1212]

No comma after 2016

[TR]

Can you say “The examination period for XXX covered January 1, 2016 though December 31, 2018.” ?

[MixedBerryJam]

How about ...

The examination period for xxxx covered January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018.

It's also fine worded as is but w/o the comma after 2016.

[sonrisa]

I'd move the 'for XXX' to after "period' and before "covered.' Then the lack of a comma after 2016 won't look as odd.

[cereal K]

As written, yes, you do need a comma following the years.

www.grammarly.com/blog/commas-in-dates

[rubytue]

Our editor at work always ads the commas after the year when it’s in the middle of a sentence. I hate it.

[cabbagecabbage]

"The examination period for XXX covered," solves your problem and sounds better.

[cosmowife]

I think that the comma after 2018 also looks awkward.

[gerberdaisy]

I was hoping there was a clear answer! Unfortunately I cannot change the order of the sentence, is a standardized thing. However, they don't make clear about comma usage.

To me, the comma after 2016 seems unnecessary, but reading some sites online, might be grammatically correct.

[cereal K]

It may look awkward, but the comma after the year is grammatically correct.

[klingklang77]

You need a comma after the year because it is a shortened form of a non-defining relative clause. This gives extra info for the reader.

Sources:
owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/commas/index.html

Oshima and Hogue.

Me. I have been teaching for many years, and punctuation is one of my points.