So, the solution in this case is to use a serial comma when confusion could arise. But in “I ordered ham and eggs, toast and jam and pie and ice cream,” the cavalcade of conjunctions gets confusing, and in contexts in which it’s not as clear which list items might be distinct and which might be linked, the absence of the final comma might require readers to reread the sentence to establish the organization. In a sentence such as “I bought one apple, two bananas and three oranges,” no ambiguity exists. (This omission is also common in British English.) However, in most books and in many other publications published in the United States, it is required. In most journalistic print and online publications and in much other online content, the serial comma is omitted. If you determine a business or organization’s style, or you self-publish in print or online, the decision is up to you. If your work for or with a business or organization involves publishing content in print or online, that decision has been made (or should have been made) for you in a style guide, a manual to be followed in production of all the content published by that business or organization. The person perfoms one activity on two items.Do you employ a serial comma - the final comma in a sentence such as “I bought one apple, two bananas, and three oranges”? It is a clause with one verb and two coordinated (and) items. The same sentence can be written without any commas no list items exist. Below, the person performs two activities one comma separates two verb phrases. For example, below the person does three activities two commas separate three verbs.įor words in which the verb form is the same as the noun form, a comma separates like (same form) elements. When each item is separated by a comma, the reader can expect that the items are the same (parallel) word forms. Word Play Make the meaning clear with a commaĭistinguish a verb from a noun with a comma TWO COMMAS 6th ed., American Psychological Association, 2010.
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