How to understand, write and say the entire calendar
There are two major ways of expressing dates in English: the American way and the British or, as many would argue, the "rest of the world" way.
To simplify, let's stick with British versus American. Even so, when it comes to writing, there are several formats depending on the required level of formality, politeness, suitability, and/or preference.
Image by Ben Wicks
1. Writing dates
Here's a list of pretty much all the existing official formats:
Note that you can use superscript ordinals instead of the regular ones above.
2. Saying dates
We always use ordinal numbers in spoken language when we refer to dates. Therefore, when someone asks what date it is today, you could answer using one of the following patterns.
"(It's) July fifth." or "(It's) July fifth, 2020." (mostly American)
"(It's) the fifth of July." or "(It's) the fifth of July, 2020." (mostly British)
Exceptionally, the second usage is preferred in the United States when referring to the fourth of July (holiday).
3. Months, days, and years
Well, if you have any doubts about how to write or say them, check this out! (Just remember you can always use superscript ordinals instead of the regular ordinals below.)
* When it's a 3-digit number, consider the first digit as the first pair; When the second pair is 00, read hundred; When the second pair starts with 0 and is not 00, you may read it "oh" if it's not between 2001-2009.
4. Decades, Centuries, and Millennia
A decade is a period of ten years beginning with a year ending in 0, or, by another reckoning, 1. For instance, the 1960s is usually referred to as the decade from 1960 to 1969, but some may claim that such a decade ranges from 1961 to 1970.
On the other hand, a century is a period of one hundred years reckoned from the traditional date of the birth of Jesus Christ. Even though the 1900s (century) does not include the year 1900, since it ranges from 1901 to 2000, it may be informally used as if it began in 1900 and ended in 1999.
The definition of millennium (or kiloyear) follows the same approach. Likewise, due to different conventions, when a millennium starts or ends has always been a matter of debate. The most popular, though, is to treat x999 as the end of the millennia.
Some examples of how to call decades, centuries, and millennia are shown below.
* Note that the year 2000 is part of the second millennium since the third millennium starts in 2001, as well as the 21st century. The same applies to other millennia or centuries, such as 1000, which is the last year of the first millennium and 10th century.
5. Historical dates
The terms B.C. and A.D. are usually used after the year to talk about historical dates when we want to refer to years Before Christ (B.C.) or Anno Domini (A.D.), which means "in the year of the Lord" in medieval Latin.
Basically, for years before Christ, you'll always have to add B.C. after the year. However, when it comes to A.D., it is only necessary to add it when we're talking about the years 1 through 100 (included) or the year 1000. Between 100 and 1000, i.e., from 101 to 999, the use of A.D. is optional. After 1000, though, it is really not necessary at all.
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