The Oxford Comma This section is about commas not semicolons, but it will affect how you punctuate your lists. Don’t use a comma before the conjunction when the second clause can’t stand alone. Comma before the final item in a list. No. between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or more items.. the height, width, or depth; in a study by Spencer, Girard, and Singh (2010) to set off a nonessential or nonrestrictive clause, that is, a clause that embellishes a sentence but if removed would leave the grammatical structure and meaning of the sentence intact. In this example, what's right? Colons can introduce a list, while commas are used to separate items in a list. 3. The band has five members, including a drummer, two guitars, a violin, and a flute. He went to London for two weeks, and he stayed at an expensive … The comma makes things clearer, and a recent lawsuit proves that. before the coordinating conjunction [usually and or or]) in a series of three or more terms.For example, a list of three countries might be punctuated either as "France, Italy and Spain" (without the serial comma… We use commas to separate items in a series or list. Have a bath and wash your entire body, including your teeth and nails 2. For instance, AP would use the "serial" comma in this sentence: "The school offers courses titled Arts and Entertainment, Geology, History and Human Development, … 1. The same rules apply for titles. Writing a book, if I haven’t put you off already, is one of the most rewarding things you can do. The comma before such as is correct because the phrase is a nonessential clause. … I visited France, Germany, Italy, Britain and Spain. A semicolon creates more separation between thoughts than a comma does but less than a period does. You should set this information off using a comma before and a comma after it: John went for a jog, which took half an hour, before having a long hot shower. Sometimes, you might want to include extra information within a sentence that isn’t essential to its meaning. The semicolon looks like a comma with a period above it, and this can be a good way to remember what it does. A comma should be used after an introductory word to separate this word from the main sentence. It could be excluded as well, resulting in the following: “There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping and swimming.” Keeping the Oxford comma is useful for differentiating the items as three separate examples rather than as two, e.g. More examples: Everyone survived, including the family dog. In English language punctuation, a serial comma, or series comma (also called an Oxford comma or Harvard comma), is a comma placed immediately after the penultimate term (i.e. If the series includes internal commas that necessitate semicolons or uses a conjunction such as "and," include the comma. Commas indicate a pause or a list in a sentence. All lists in APA Style should include a serial comma—the final comma before the conjunction. So the list above would run like this: We use commas while combining multiple phrases in one sentence or writing about different items in a list. The word and is added before the last noun, which is not followed by a comma. For example, Each child was given a plush toy, a building block, and a rubber ball. Apr 06 2011 19:28:54 . If the number of page visits is a reliable indicator, this topic—using a comma before and—is on the minds of many people. 2. Commas are needed before coordinating conjunctions, after dependent clauses (when they precede independent clauses), and to set off appositives. The most basic type of list appears in the running text of a sentence, with each item separated by a comma. Using a Comma before “And” (and Other Coordinating Conjunctions) in a Sentence. NOTE: Do not use a comma if the order is reversed (the independent clause comes before the dependent clause), except for cases of extreme contrast. When to Use a Comma Before 'Because' Commas with Participial Phrases. Use a comma after a dependent clause when it comes before the independent clause. In section 4.03 of APA 6, the serial comma is clearly required: “between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or more items.” In fact, APA even requires the serial comma to be included in in-text references: (Smith, Smith, & Jones, 2016). First, some courts have held that an item only falls within the preceding noun if it falls within one of the items in the list. If you use the word "including," it may help clarify to put a comma BEFORE it, but you still do not need a colon after it. If he feels, the readers know he can set of the phrase within commas. In this case you do need a comma. Should I use a comma between two adjectives? If the writer feels that the intended audience of this sentence do not know about the members of G8 countries, he can make it defining by not inserting the comma before "including". … A comma comes after each noun in a list. The sections in … The American Heritage states that include … There’s a long-running debate over whether it’s proper to include that last comma in a list. There are more usages of a comma, for example, how adding or removing comma before and after a name changes the meaning of the sentence — In this Grammar.com article let us understand how to correctly use commas with names. We'll show you how to use conjunctions, clauses, relative pronouns, and the proper way to use a comma after "and" with our comma cheat sheet. Here are the two most common uses of the semicolon: 1. Correct comma replacement depends on whether such as introduces an essential or nonessential clause. For example: "Germany annexed Austria, Poland, and the Netherlands." The proper definition of the Oxford comma is “a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before ‘and’ or ‘or’.” For example: For example: If the examples are essential to the meaning of … I love to pet kittens, puppies and rabbits. 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 … The only time you would place a colon after "include" … I love to pet kittens, puppies and rabbits. Semicolons . The thinking is that if the preceding … Use a comma before the conjunction when the sentence halves can stand alone. Example: While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door. A comma comes after every coordinating adjective except for the last adjective. Have a bath and wash your entire body including your teeth and nails Comma before including or not? In British English, it is quite unusual to use a comma with and. 2. Well, forget proper. (US) Notes. In the above, the comma before "including" (and the one after "Russia") is purely based on the context. They should really be called "adnouns" to be consistent … About the Author. Do you go to the store for “cupcakes, vanilla, and chocolate” or “cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate”? 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. When writing a list of items for an academic paper, place a comma between each item in the list, including before the word "and." anonymous; Grass hay … The Listing Comma. Use a comma after the conjunction when it is followed by an interruption. If we use this second format and then make a list of people, the different people would be separated by a semi-colon (;) and not a comma. You place a comma before "including" only when the "including" phrase is non-essential, meaning it is just added information and is not necessary to clearly understand the meaning of the sentence. If we take the first person first, the format would be like this: Joan Darcy, U.S. When there are just two items in a list, a comma … This gets more complex when an item or multiple items in your list already have commas… The third most oft-visited on this site, this page garnered close to 10,000 hits in the past thirty days. In AP style, omit the comma before the last item in a simple series, such as "Joe, John and Steve." You can safely delete it if you want without losing the context. If it is … Mignon Fogarty . The final comma before the "and" is called the serial comma. The Oxford comma … If it is essential, meaning the phrase is necessary to understand the meaning of the sentence, then use no comma. 2018-05-24 16:21 #0 by: Evelina Use a comma before “including” and “such as” when followed by a nonrestrictive, nonessential phrase or clause. Reputable dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary, tell us that the verb include is not interchangeable with the verb are. Common starter words for introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while. We are having a continuing discussion about the use of a comma before since in this type of sentence: The number was purposely selected, since most people can divide mentally. Nor should you put a colon there. Corps of Engineers Assistant Secretary for Civil Works. Since most … (GB) I visited France, Germany, Italy, Britain, and Spain. “Be … Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause. 5. Comma before and … only include a comma before "since" when the verb in the independent clause that precedes it is negated and this might cause confusion. Before the fists begin to fly, let me say that, in my experience, there is a clear gulf between the two camps regarding the use of the comma before connecting in a series of three or more items. Adjectives are words that modify a noun like "old", "red", "greasy". To help separate items in a list, when some of those items already contain commas. My understanding is that if the subordinate clause follows the main clause, no comma precedes the conjunction; however, I saw the following sentence in the Q&A and am now confused. a. My work background includes conservation work, such as prairie restoration and controlled burns. In that case then it follows the rules for "because" outlined above, i.e. Both the Modern Language Association and the American Psychological Association require it. 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; we might call this construction an X, Y and Z list: The Three Musketeers were Athos, Porthos and … Examples of the comma before and, so, yet and or. Comma before or after including?
Each item had to be manually inserted into a line of type. Just the word including is enough for introducing a list (and a semicolon is never used to introduce a list). Because I was late, I had to sit in the back. The price for the ticket is $15.75 including sales tax. Comma before including chicago manual of style, serial comma: do or not do. Nevertheless, some courts have, in two different ways, used the list following a given including or includes to limit the meaning of the word or phrase (usually a noun or noun phrase) preceding the including or includes. Let’s look at …

First, it is together. In the first example below, the comma after "butter" is called a serial comma or an Oxford comma.In the US, when there are more than two list items, your readers will expect a comma before the conjunction (in this case, "and") that precedes the last list item. The last two items in a list are usually connected by and. If the specific examples aren’t essential to the accuracy of your sentence, then use a comma before such as and after your example, unless the example is at the very end of the sentence. What the Dictionaries Tell Us. By definition, if we use the word include or including before a list, we are telling the reader that the list is not exhaustive. She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show … The comma placed between “jumping” and “and swimming” is an example of an Oxford comma. Citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, are high in vitamin C. We like to plan our vacations around three-day weekends, such as Labor Day. 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