How To Use Commas List
With two list items don t use a comma.
How to use commas list. The usual way of doing this is to place a comma after each item in the list. While there s some degree of flexibility in how commas are used it s important to have a clear grasp of the rules. Place a comma between each item in the list unless you are writing in associated press style. Punctuation has two main roles to play in the presentation of lists of items. Commas can be a particularly tricky punctuation mark.
With three list items use a comma between the list items and before the and or whatever conjunction if it s your local convention. Punctuation is used to separate the items in the list. Commas should be used before and when joining two independent clauses or when compiling a list. I need to go to the supermarket to buy eggs milk bread sugar and. In that case you would not place a comma before the and that joins the final two items.
My estate goes to my husband son daughter in law and nephew. Oxford commas are also known as serial or harvard commas. You usually put a comma before and when it s connecting two independent clauses. There are some cases where you know you should use a comma such as when separating items in a list but there are other times when you might be unsure whether or not a comma is needed. Commas can separate adjectives offset nonessential phrases and introduce direct quotations.
This page explains when to use commas in lists has lots of examples and includes an interactive exercise. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Whether or not you put a comma before and depends on how you re using and there s no single rule that applies to all situations. The 14 most commonly used punctuation marks are. When you have a list that contains more than two elements use commas to separate them.
When correcting a comma splice that is when joining two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction put the comma before and. Use commas when writing a list of at least three words phrases or clauses in a sentence. A comma is a form of punctuation that indicates a pause in a sentence and separates items in a list. It s almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list. When the last comma in a series comes before and or or after daughter in law in the above example it is known as the oxford comma most newspapers and magazines drop the oxford comma in a simple series apparently.