How do you punctuate a series of items?
Place a comma between each item in the series. For example: “John went to the store to buy bananas, cherries, milk, and cheese.” The comma in front of “and cheese” is optional, though whatever option you choose, keep choosing that option in any future series.
How do you use commas in a series example?
Rule 1. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Example: My estate goes to my husband, son, daughter-in-law, and nephew. Note: When the last comma in a series comes before and or or (after daughter-in-law in the above example), it is known as the Oxford comma.
Is there a comma after and in a series?
In English-language punctuation, a serial comma (also called a series comma, Oxford comma, or Harvard comma) is a comma placed immediately after the penultimate term (i.e., before the coordinating conjunction, such as and or or) in a series of three or more terms.
How do you write a series of items?
Put a comma between all items, and put a comma + and before the last item. Items in a series can be single words or phrases. In addition, items in a series can be short sentences joined with commas and and.
Do you put a comma before and in a list?
There’s no single rule that applies to all situations. You usually put a comma before and when it’s connecting two independent clauses. It’s almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list.
What is the rule for items in a series?
Whenever you have three or more items in a series, each item requires punctuation to separate it from the others. Depending on the complexity of the list, you can use either commas or semicolons.
Do you use commas or semicolons in a list?
Use a semicolon between items in a list or series if any of the items contain commas. Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction if the clauses are already punctuated with commas or if the clauses are lengthy.