Do you use a comma when listing three things?

Do you use a comma when listing three things?

As mentioned above, when you are listing three or more items, commas should separate each element of the list. However, the final comma—the one that comes before the and—is optional. This comma is called the serial comma or the Oxford comma. Whether or not you use the serial comma is a style choice.

Do you put a comma before and in a series of words?

The word and is a conjunction, and when a conjunction joins two independent clauses, you should use a comma with it. The proper place for the comma is before the conjunction. Therefore, we need a comma before and. Don’t use a comma before and when one of the clauses it’s connecting is a dependent clause.

What is it called when you use lots of commas?

Polysyndeton is a stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect. In a normal situation, the coordinating conjunction “and” is used to join the last two words of the list, and the rest of the words in the list are separated or joined by a comma.

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.

How do you punctuate series?

How to Punctuate a Series with Commas and Semicolons

1. Write a sentence with a series in it. For example: “John went to the store to buy bananas cherries milk and cheese.”
2. Place a comma between each item in the series.
3. If the items in your series are extremely long or contain commas themselves, use semicolons instead.

How do you use commas to separate three or more items in a series?

The important things to remember about using commas in series are these:

1. A series includes 3 or more items of the same type (words or groups of words).
2. The series is connected by and, or, or nor before the last item.
3. A comma separates items in the series, including the final item preceded by and, or, or nor.

What is an interrupting comma?

These are the most frequently used type of comma, and they cause more problems than the other types put together. The rule is this: a pair of bracketing commas is used to mark off a weak interruption of the sentence — that is, an interruption which does not disturb the smooth flow of the sentence.

How do you write words in a series?

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.