How To Use Commas List
Punctuation is used to separate the items in the list.
How to use commas list. Use commas when writing a list of at least three words phrases or clauses in a sentence. To separate the items in a list. With two list items don t use a comma. The school has a vegetable garden in which the children grow cabbages onions potatoes and carrots. This page explains when to use commas in lists has lots of examples and includes an interactive exercise.
When you have a list that contains more than two elements use commas to separate them. My estate goes to my husband son daughter in law and nephew. A lot of people have strong feelings about putting a comma before and in a list. You usually put a comma before and when it s connecting two independent clauses. While there s some degree of flexibility in how commas are used it s important to have a clear grasp of the rules.
With three list items use a comma between the list items and before the and or whatever conjunction if it s your local convention. I need to go to the supermarket to buy eggs milk bread sugar and. Commas can be a particularly tricky punctuation mark. The 14 most commonly used punctuation marks are. Punctuation has two main roles to play in the presentation of lists of items.
Oxford commas are also known as serial or harvard commas. A comma is a form of punctuation that indicates a pause in a sentence and separates items in a list. 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 usual way of doing this is to place a comma after each item in the list. Commas are used to separate list items.
Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. When writing a list you should put a comma between each item except for the last item where you use and. Period question mark exclamation point comma semicolon colon dash hyphen parentheses brackets braces. It s almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list. Place a comma between each item in the list unless you are writing in associated press style.