How To Use Etc Comma
Tennis soccer baseball etc are outdoor games however if this word appears at the end of a sentence then the period which is part of etc serves as the final punctuation mark.
How to use etc comma. Generally in american english if etc is used in the middle of a sentence it is followed by a comma. Such english equivalents as and so forth and the like are usually treated the same way. Etc and and so forth the abbreviation etc. We won t get into the serial comma issue here when it s in the middle of the sentence it doesn t need to be followed by a comma. Et cetera literally and others of the same kind is traditionally both preceded and followed by a comma when it is the final item in a series.
If those synonyms make sense you can use etc. To use etc correctly use it in instances where you would say and so forth for example if you are making a list of possible desserts and want to express that there could be more items than the ones you have listed write cakes cupcakes ice cream etc do not use etc more than once and do not use etc to refer to people. And et cetera is redundant. A good way to test whether etc. Ends in a period even midsentence.
Nevertheless the style that seems to be recommended the most is to always include a comma before etc. As you would the phrase and the rest. Do not use a comma to connect two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction and but or nor etc. Remember et means and. Letters packages etc should go here.
The conjunctive adverb however shows a connection between the two independent clauses. Don t use a comma after etc. In american english etc. It is recommended even by those who discourage the use of the oxford comma the comma before the last item in a list. When it comes at the end of a list put a comma before it if you use the serial comma and don t if you don t use the serial comma.
Be followed by a comma. You should never use and et cetera. If it is at the end of the sentence. Is appropriate is to substitute and so on or and so forth.