I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast. Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series:ĪP does allow a comma before and when ambiguity would result without one: When three or more items are listed in a series, and the last item is preceded by and, or, or nor, place a comma before the conjunction as well as between the other items. The stated rule seems ambiguous to me, but the examples that follow it are clear: In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. Chicago strongly recommends this widely practiced usage, blessed by Fowler and other authorities… 6.19 When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series, a comma-known as the serial or series comma or the Oxford comma-should appear before the conjunction. Here it is without a serial comma: The Three Stooges are Larry, Moe and Curly. Here’s a sentence with a serial comma: The Three Stooges are Larry, Moe, and Curly. Some writers call the Oxford comma the “Harvard comma.” a comma immediately preceding the conjunction in a list of items. an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect). a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before ‘and’ or ‘or’ (e.g. Here is some information that may enable you to make the decision for yourself, if you haven’t already done so. The pros and cons are widely, frequently, and hotly debated. Such a momentous decision is, of course, a deeply personal matter. After a lifetime of being wishy-washy about the serial comma, I’ve reached a decision: I’m going to use it all the time.
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