This account is used for semi-automated editing with a tight focus of the use of commas in dates and place names. Edits made by this account largely focus on two closely related types of comma use:
In North American date formatting, the year is appended as a comma-delimited parenthetical. Formatting rules would be straightforward if we used parentheses because we'd always close them regardless of context:
July 4 (1776)
She spoke of July 4 (1776) with tears in her eyes.
But the comma is a logical nightmare, often mistaught in school, as it is not present as a closing mark in a free-standing date but is needed to close the parenthetical in a sentence:
July 4, 1776
He spoke of July 4, 1776, with tears in his eyes.
Analogously, a place name in the format of City, StateorCity, Country requires a single comma in free-standing text and a second, closing comma in complete sentences:
Edmonton, Alberta
The Oilers brought the Stanley Cup home to Edmonton, Alberta, five times in a seven-year period.
This rule applies to place names worldwide, but NoAmCom's work on place names is presently restricted to the U.S. and Canada. NoAmCom's search-and-replace code generates few false positives, but each edit is reviewed.
