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Which is the correct one:

  • On the Wednesdays of September, I used to go to the cinema with my dad.
  • On September Wednesdays, I used to go to the cinema with my dad.

3 Answers 3

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Neither one sounds natural. A more natural wording would be On Wednesdays in September, I used to go to the cinema with my dad.

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  • Even "on Wednesdays" sounds a bit stilted in this usage. I would suggest "Each Wednesday in September..." as the most natural. May 23, 2013 at 21:44
  • I'd say that each vs. on is really a matter of taste and meaning. Each emphasizes that is was every single Wednesday. On could mean every Wednesday, or it could mean some or most Wednesdays.
    – Karen
    Jan 3, 2016 at 15:08
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On September Wednesdays

would be understood, but I think a native speaker would more likely use in:

Also, when referring to a set of recurring days of the week (Sundays, Mondays, etc.), one does not ordinarily use the definite article.

On Wednesdays in September, I used to go to the cinema with my dad.

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Both OP's versions are completely unacceptable. In principle there's nothing inherently incorrect about the suggested alternative on Wednesdays in September, but it doesn't sound like very natural phrasing to me (I feel the way it emphasises plural Wednesdays is "odd" in this context). I suggest something like...

In September I used to go to the cinema with my dad on Wednesday.

It's grammatically optional whether you pluralise Wednesday there. I tend to prefer the singular because we're not actually talking about very many trips to the cinema in total, and we're already stretching the idiomatic "I used to" with such a small number of occurrences. Using the singular dayname seems to me to help "balance" the utterance. But that's really just a personal stylistic preference.

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  • US v UK? Wednesdays in September sounds perfectly natural to me. May 23, 2013 at 20:54
  • @Dan Neely: Well, I did say there's nothing "inherently incorrect" about it. But I suggest it's quite likely you've never actually come across that exact sequence of three words in any context - let alone one that also has used to meaning was in the habit of. I just don't think "September Wednesdays" or "Wednesdays in September" are a particularly recognisable "type of Wednesday" that you would naturally reference in the context of describing such a short-lived "habitual action". It's not like, say, winter evenings. May 23, 2013 at 21:29

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