diff --git a/exemplars/web_page_google_privacy.toml b/exemplars/web_page_google_privacy.toml
index d83f9bc..2dfed15 100644
--- a/exemplars/web_page_google_privacy.toml
+++ b/exemplars/web_page_google_privacy.toml
@@ -12,5 +12,9 @@ expected_bibliography = "Google. \"Privacy Policy.\" Privacy & Terms. Effective
 author = "Google"
 title = "Privacy Policy"
 site = "Privacy & Terms"
-date = "November 15, 2023"
+# Include the date qualifier ("Effective", "Published", "Accessed", etc.) in
+# the canonical date field. CMOS 18 preserves these qualifiers in web-source
+# entries; dropping them is a real regression even though the resulting
+# string is structurally well-formed.
+date = "Effective November 15, 2023"
 url = "https://policies.google.com/privacy"
diff --git a/src/cmos/formatter.py b/src/cmos/formatter.py
index f7c435c..715eda9 100644
--- a/src/cmos/formatter.py
+++ b/src/cmos/formatter.py
@@ -73,6 +73,14 @@ Rules you must follow (CMOS 18th edition specifically):
 11. Web page format: Author-or-Organization. "Page Title." Site Name.
     Effective/Published Date. URL.
 
+12. PRESERVE date qualifiers from the input. If the source provides a
+    qualified date such as "Effective November 15, 2023", "Published March
+    3, 2024", "Accessed October 1, 2022", "Posted June 7", "Last modified
+    ...", or "Updated ...", keep the qualifier word in the output — do not
+    silently drop it. The qualifier is semantically meaningful: "Effective"
+    dates a policy's activation, "Accessed" marks when the researcher saw
+    the page, etc. CMOS 18 preserves these distinctions.
+
 Output ONLY the single reformatted entry. No preamble, no explanation.
 """