[General] Block Language

Block language, for English, is used for captions, titles and newspapers headlines.
Besides articles like "a", "an", and "the" which are always removed, are prepositions like "in", "at", "on", etc liberally dropped as well?

NancyAr said:

Block language, for English, is used for captions, titles and newspapers headlines.
Besides articles like "a", "an", and "the" which are always removed, are prepositions like "in", "at", "on", etc liberally dropped as well?

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No. These words carry meaning.

From some school website, I found:

"Available January and June"

It looks like "in" was removed from between "Available" and "January and June".

NancyAr said:

"Available January and June"

It looks like "in" was removed from between "Available" and "January and June".

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It does - that is, if it was ever there.

You asked if prepositions were 'liberally dropped'. They are not.

Blair flies to Moscow
Riots in Georgia

I thought "in" is necessary before the months the year.

fivejedjon said:

It does - that is, if it was ever there.

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If that's true, that means I could write the following and pass it off as a COMPLETE SENTENCE:

"The class is available January and June."

How could this be?

NancyAr said:

I thought "in" is necessary before the months the year.


If that's true, that means I could write the following and pass it off as a COMPLETE SENTENCE:

"The class is available January and June."

How could this be?

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If you wrote that, everyone would understand it. Most people would notice the missing "in", some wouldn't, and some might say it needs two "in"s (one before January and one before June).

But you asked if they were liberally dropped in headlines etc. The sentence you have posted does not appear to be a headline or a title. Had it simply said "Class available January and June", then it would be fine and commonly seen in perhaps a college timetable.

You will find a lot of instances where the preposition is dropped before days, months etc.

He was born January 1970.
The sale runs Monday through/to Friday.
I took my exams July 2009.

To me, 1 and 3 are unnatural but I've heard them many times, perhaps mostly in AmE.

emsr2d2 said:

You will find a lot of instances where the preposition is dropped before days, months etc.

1. He was born January 1970.
2. The sale runs Monday through/to Friday.
3. I took my exams July 2009.

To me, 1 and 3 are unnatural but I've heard them many times, perhaps mostly in AmE.

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Would the following, which doesn't contain a particular year like 1 or 3, be unnatural in BrE, but common in AmE:
"The class is available January and June."

NamcyAr said:

Would the following, which doesn't contain a particular year like 1 or 3, be unnatural in BrE, but common in AmE:
"The class is available January and June."

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It is not necessarily unnatural to all speakers of BrE.

emsr2d2's examples:

1. He was born January 1970.
2. The sale runs Monday through/to Friday.
3. I took my exams July 2009.

Modifying 1 and 3 slightly:

1a. He was born January.
3a. I took my exams July.

Would 1a and 3a, from which year-expressions were removed, still be acceptable?

NamcyAr said:

1a. He was born January........3a. I took my exams July.

Would 1a and 3a, from which year-expressions were removed, still be acceptable?

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1a. Only if we are talking about a baby.
3a To some people.

It's a lot simpler, and more natural, to use 'in' in all your examples. As I said some time ago, "You asked if prepositions were 'liberally dropped'. They are not"

Then, in block language, prepositions could be selectively dropped if there would be no risk of ambiguity?

In headlines and captions anything can be dropped if there is no risk of ambiguity - and things are sometimes dropped even if ambiguity results. Headlines are a law unto themselves.