How To Use Commas When Listing
This comma is called the serial comma or the oxford comma.
How to use commas when listing. Essentially a semicolon is like a comma with more meaning or a colon with more flexibility. While there s some degree of flexibility in how commas are used it s important to have a clear grasp of the rules. This page explains when to use commas in lists has lots of examples and includes an interactive exercise. My estate goes to my husband son daughter in law and nephew. The three musketeers were athos porthos and aramis.
We might call this construction an x y and z list. I need to go to the supermarket to buy eggs milk bread sugar and. The listing comma is used as a kind of substitute for the word and or sometimes for or it occurs in two slightly different circumstances. They can also be used when listing complex ideas or phrases that use commas within them. Charlie has to buy flashlight batteries breath butter cookies breath ice cream breath and cake.
As mentioned above when you are listing three or more items commas should separate each element of the list. Place a comma between each item in the list unless you are writing in associated press style. First it is used in a list when three or more words phrases or even complete sentences are joined by the word and or or. When writing a list you should put a comma between each item except for the last item where you use and. In that case you would not place a comma before the and that joins the final two items.
With three list items use a comma between the list items and before the and or whatever conjunction if it s your local convention. For example here is a list separated by commas. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. At the store i will buy apples oranges pears and bananas. You need commas between each item on the list with one important exception.
With two list items don t use a comma. If you have a series of three or more items use commas to separate each item. Commas can be a particularly tricky punctuation mark. 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. When you read the list aloud the commas emerge as breaths.