How to Separate Dates in Technical Writing With a Comma or Semicolon

Technical writing conveys information. Readers rely on this information's accuracy and precision; mistakes in technical writing can cost businesses their money and even people their lives. Professional technical writers carefully proofread their sentences right down to the last period. Semicolons, a sometimes ignored punctuation mark, combine with commas to classify items in a long list of dates in technical writing.

Instructions

    • 1

      Begin your sentence by describing or explaining the events or the significance of the dates you want to list. For example, "The company delivered four shipments."

    • 2

      Place a colon after the description of the event, as in, "The company delivered four shipments:".

    • 3

      List the dates in chronological order after the colon, beginning with any of the following relevant particulars: the time of day, the day of the week, the day of the month, the month and the year.

    • 4

      Insert semicolons between separate dates. "The company delivered four shipments: 5 p.m., March 15, 2009; 4:30 p.m., Aug. 7, 2009; 1 p.m., Nov. 29, 2009; and 8 a.m., Jan. 6, 2010."

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