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I am a bit confused. When can we omit the preposition on before weekdays? (Monday, Tuesday etc.) Sometimes I read weekdays without the preposition on. If the preposition is left out, does it work the same way, or does it change the meaning?

Example without the preposition

The UGC issued the public notice Monday after its two previous orders in this regard were overlooked by the DU.

Example with the preposition

The commission on Monday also issued a public notice against the FYUP in all leading newspapers for parents and students.

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    Personally, I find the example without the preposition awkward. Is this a regional variation, perhaps?
    – ClickRick
    Commented Jun 23, 2014 at 22:11
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    You can avoid it when you're in the U.S.A.
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Jun 23, 2014 at 23:10
  • Again in the USA, I think using "on" is the proper form, though both are commonly used. When I think about where I have heard it with no preposition, it is in narrations such as the TV or radio news.
    – user3169
    Commented Jun 24, 2014 at 0:27
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    @ user62015: Unless you're sure of your exact context, it's safest to stick with on [weekday]. Dropping the preposition is an informal usage that won't necessarily sound "natural" in all contexts anyway, apart from the fact that it's simply the wrong "register" for most formal contexts.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Jun 24, 2014 at 3:04
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    user62015 I think there's more to be said about this topic. Please check back over the next few days to see some full Answers provided by people with various perspectives.
    – CoolHandLouis
    Commented Jun 24, 2014 at 4:09

1 Answer 1

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From the context, it seems likely that omitting "on" was a journalistic decision.

The Associated Press Stye Book, used by journalists and others when writing public press releases, considers "on" before a day/date to be unnecessary, and therefore a waste of space in print. Omitting it is a habit that's a throwback to pre-internet days when paper size mattered :)

A journalist following AP Style might write:

"The event happened here Tuesday, in response to the other event that occurred June 10."

Both the preposition "on" and the "th" from "10th" are omitted to save space.

In spoken conversation or non-journalistic writing, people typically include "on," even though it's not required for meaning.

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  • +1. Also, I can't think of any time when it's wrong to put in the on, so if you're ever unsure, just use it, as FumbleFingers said in the comments above.
    – tsleyson
    Commented Jun 29, 2014 at 3:32

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