Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: a problem with the date

hi ,
I'm a poor italian man who's learning english. I've a problem with the
dates. I always see dates as Nov. 12 or May, 20. But some days ago, on BBC
world news I heard something like 12 November 2004. Now, I think they are
both correct (I don't think a BBC journalist would say something so wrong) ,
but how can I use this different forms?
Thanks
Annoiato72
P.S. If I've made some mistakes in this paragraph, please correct , thanks

Annoiato 72 ha scritto:

Here's the way I see it:
In the US the most common form is "Month Day, Year" (and even though the
cardinal number is written ("12") the ordinal is spoken (12th).
November 12, 2004 (spoken "November twelfth, two thousand (and) four).
When talking about dates just in terms of the day of the month, the ordinal
is used:  Are you busy on the 15th? Then we'll do it on the 21st.
May 20 (no comma between month and day, but between day and year, if the
year is present.)
It's my impression that most of the world uses the Day Month Year format
that you heard on the BBC. Occasionally this form is used in the.
Very few mistakes in your paragraph: remember to capitalize the names of
languages (Italian, English) and in your last sentence you have "this
different forms"; it should be either "these different forms" or this
different form" (better, since there is really only one different form,
although many different dates.)
Ya done good! (You did well!)
-- 
This is my opinion of modern, colloquial, American English. 
If you feel the need to e-mail me, un-not my address first.

 November 12, 2004 (spoken "November twelfth, two thousand (and) four).
I think it is commoner to write "15th November, 2004" ("the fifteenth of
November, two thousand and four") in the UK. As I recall, Xakero once said
that the form "November 15th, 2004" is seen as older there.
Bye, FB
-- 
"The doctors found out that Bunbury could not live, that is what I mean—so
Bunbury died."
"He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians."
("The Importance of Being Earnest", Oscar Wilde)

 Bye, FB
So:
USA : May 1st, 2004
vs
All around the World: 1st May, 2004
Right?
Thanks
Annoiato72

 USA : May 1st, 2004
Nope. You *write* "May 1, 2004" and you *say* "May first, two thousand
(and) four)."
Sebastiano



Yes, sorry. To sum up:
1) "May 1, 2004" ("May first, two thousand (and) four")
2) "1st May, 2004" ("the first of May, two thousand and four")
P.S. If I recall correctly, as we recently talked about that, "and" in "two
thousand and four" is the only way 2004 is spoken in BritEng.
Bye, FB
-- 
"Is this Miss Prism a female of repellent aspect, remotely connected with
education?" "She is the most cultivated of ladies, and the very picture of
respectability" "It is obviously the same person".


 P.S. If I've made some mistakes in this paragraph, please correct , thanks
Io direi "with dates" senza "the".

 thousand and four" is the only way 2004 is spoken in BritEng.
I don't remember. I know you can say it with and without "and" in AmEng.
Sebastiano

Enrico C ha scritto:

Giusto.


 Giusto.
Yeah, I thought he had problems with a specific date he had mentioned
earlier on this NG. Another "provolaggine" post.
Anyway, I was thinking... date is a lovely word!
Chose the right sentence.
"I have a problem with dates;".
N°1:	"I just don't remember them!"
N°2:	"I'm all nervous and I always end up making a fool of myself!"
N°3:	"I am allergic to them!
Sebastiano

Sebapop ha scritto:

Number 3, as it relates to number 2?? :)
(I hope it's not number 1 as it relates to number 2!)


 (I hope it's not number 1 as it relates to number 2!)
Well, it's not impossible for me to forget a date (appointment). ^_^
Anyway, in order to avoid pushing somebody's headache into a full blown
migraine, number 1 is the date (day), number 2 is the date (appointment)
and number 3 is the date (fruit).
Sebastiano
*I said to myself "too easy", but then, you know, I couln't stop. I have a
problem. I suffer from multiple sarcasm. The bad one. I know it's quite
rare in men. There's no cure for it. I'm sorry.

 rare in men. There's no cure for it. I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry, but it's too bad you don't suffer from the type of multiple
sarcasm frequent in women. You'd be smiling a lot more. :-D


 sarcasm frequent in women. You'd be smiling a lot more. :-D
Yeah, I know. But the MSD - Multiple Sarcasm Disease - in females has a
dark side: random headaches. 
Sebastiano

 sarcasm frequent in women. You'd be smiling a lot more. :-D
Yes, but *we* can laugh every time. [1]
[1] I considering adding "Not so they" ("they cannot, instead"), but I
wasn't sure.
Bye, FB
-- 
In any case, if you say 'I gotta go' at an important job interview you're
contributing to being allowed just that privilege.
(Tony the ice man on it.cultura.linguistica.inglese)

 [1] I considering adding "Not so they" ("they cannot, instead"), but I
'Twould have been fine.


 'Twould have been fine.
Would't? O.K., thenks.
Bye, FB
-- 
Io ho deciso di rifiutarmi di vederlo: Ettore con la faccia di Eric Banana
mi fa venire i conati.
(commento sul film "Troy" apparso su it.fan.scrittori.tolkien)