Learn English – the correct way to compare two dates and say which is recent

comparisondatesreading-aloud

I have two dates like this:

first date = 01 January 2014

second date = 01 January 2013

I want to tell that the first date is always "greater" than the second date.

I am sure that "greater" is wrong in that context

So what should I say?

I tried this:

The first date is always most recent than the second date.

Is this right?

Best Answer

The first date is always more recent than the second

Sounds just fine, if you're sure it's true! (It is in this case, of course). In this type of situation, when you're looking for an adjective (comparative) to use, my advice is use the one most suited to the noun (thing) you're describing.

On face value, those are numbers in your example. But really, they're dates. Dates = time, so we need adjectives to refer to this concept of time.

Greater is for numbers (integers, fractions, etc).

You could explore avoiding an adjective altogether, for example:

The first date always comes before the second

Or, switching your order:

The second date always comes after the first. @JR

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