Using serial commas before and after book

Or more accurately, the serial comma, also known as the oxford or harvard comma depending on where youre from, which comes after the penultimate item and before. It is possible to follow an and with a comma that serves another function. Also known as the oxford comma, the serial comma is the final comma in a list of three items or more, and it is used immediately before and, or, and occasionally nor. Commas can be a particularly tricky punctuation mark. Whether or not you decide to use the serial, or oxford, comma before the final and or or in the list is up to you. How to use commas in associated press style pen and the pad. Erika suffern is the head of book publications at the mla. When where serves as an adverb, it generally does not take comma before it. In ap style, omit the comma before the last item in a simple series, such as joe, john and steve. Commas should sometimes be placed before and after names and titles. Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with that relative clauses. Highbrow publications in one corner and, in the comma hating corner. The following are simple examples of serial commas.

Commas with names and titles, simplified the critical reader. Whether or not you use the serial comma is a style choice. Whether to use the serial comma is a style issue, which is why patti and her. Despite the fact that not all style books agree on this issue, we recommend using a comma after the nexttolast item in a seriesthe serial or oxford or harvard comma, as it is called. We cannot say that the comma will always come before the conjunction and never after, but it would be a rare event, indeed, that we need to follow a coordinating conjunction with a comma. I have seen various books from 19th c or before which regularly include the comma after. Chicago, apa, and other style guides for us english require a comma before the conjunction in a series of three or more items, per strunk and white. According to the website box office mojo, the topgrossing movies of all time in the united states are currently avatar, titanic, and the dark knight. Before we talk about commas, there is something important that you need to know. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases. According to the little, brown handbook fowler and aaron, 12th ed, the rule is.

One of the most frequent errors in comma usage is the placement of a comma after a coordinating conjunction. Before fists start flying, let me say that, in my experience, theres a clear divide between two camps regarding use of a comma before the conjunction in a series of three or more items. In your own writing, you can decide for yourself whether to use it or notjust be consistent. The law was written according to the states style guide, which says its fine to leave out the comma before and known to grammar nerds as an oxford comma just because thats a thing. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause. Ive recently received a handful of questions asking for clarification about rule governing the use of commas with names and titles.

There are some rare exceptions though, where the oxford comma must be used. A serial comma simply means that a comma will separate each element in a series of three or more, even before the coordinating conjunctions and and before or. Keep in mind, though, that occasionally the serial comma is necessary for clarity. Use a comma before and after certain introductory words or terms, such as namely, that is, i. In the usa, its usually called the oxford comma and is. Well, by not using the serial comma between god and mother teresa. The following book was published by verso in london, so the serial comma is not added. Commas before and in a series grammar blog blue book of. Use commas after introductory a clauses, b phrases, or c words that come before the main clause. There are a few exceptions that require you to use the oxford comma in a list, but they are pretty rare. My favorite cereals are cheerios, raisin bran, and shredded wheat. Serial commas and serial semicolons by erika suffern serial commas.

Comma before and that joins two independent clauses. Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction and, but, yet, so, or nor, for when it. The word and is a conjunction, and when a conjunction joins two independent clauses, you should use a comma with it. In the example immediately above, the serial comma makes it clear that the writer is taking two separate economics courses next semester. The serial comma is the one before and in a series of three or more things. Writers frequently wonder whether a comma should go before the conjunction and in a list of three or more items. This comma precedes the final item in a list or series, before the word and or or. After all this year i always use there is no comma before and. Its kind of like wearing white after labor daysome say its fine, some. By their very definition, they give us more information about the noun that they are renaming. Use commas to separate items in series, and use commas to separate certain kinds of clauses. Using a comma before and in a series get it write online.

I have my college writing book right here, and it says to use the comma before and. I dedicate this book to my parents, ayn rand, and god. Commas are used to separate items in a series of three or more nouns or two or more coordinate adjectives. Manual of style say you should always use the serial comma before and. The serial comma is the comma before the final and in a series. However, in recent years i have increasingly seen us publications not follow this rule. If you have an appositive phrase, and it has a conjuction like this one, use the comma.

So for company names in chicago style, youd write, smith, jones, comma and. The exception to the rule is in newspapers and magazine because they like to save space. Common starter words for introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while. Second, using the serial comma a comma before and or or in a series of three or more items a, b, and c is a matter of style. The sentence is correct with or without the comma before and. Every school text i ever used said to use a comma before every item in a series of 3 or more. Some writers struggle with the question of when to put a comma before the word and. Some writers omit it, but doing so can cause confusion. Your side, my side, and their side business writing. Known as the oxford or serial comma, it is mandatory in us english. Without a serial comma placed after peach or after mango, it isnt clear if peach and. I have looked through the entire comma, list, and conjunction sections of cmos, but do not see any guidance. Commas before and in a series grammar and punctuation. This week we address the serial comma, seventh in the list of the top 10 most common apa style errors as identified by onwuegbuzie, combs, slate, and frels 2010.

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 is needed while theres some degree of flexibility in how commas are used, its important to have a clear grasp of the rules. After the recent court case involving the serial comma, i am trying to be even more diligent. Normally there might be a slight pause at the commas when reading the sentence, but a slight pause when reading is not a reason to introduce a comma when the grammar does not require it the book title, book, is not parenthetical content in your sentence. I dedicate this book to my parents, ayn rand and god. Lets start with the fact that unless a name or title is the last words in a sentence, it can either be used with no commas at all, or with a comma both before and after. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after. Is it grammaticaly correct to place a comma after and. I am sure at one point i read that if you have a list with items separated by the word or, you do not need a comma. Serial comma oxford comma as mentioned above, when you are listing three or more items, commas should separate each element of the list. For many years i did not use the serial comma and thats perfectly acceptable, but once i ran across a couple of sentences that gained clarity by using it, i switched over. With the exception of newspapers, most publications use the serial comma, because it helps writers.

I dedicate this book to my parents, ingrid and god. Always put a comma before and in a list, no matter what. Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma also called series comma, oxford comma, and harvard comma. In your example, im not really sure why you put a comma before and, but my understanding is that you use a comma before. Use a comma to mark each separate element in a series. The serial comma is an extra comma you will often see placed before andor in us based english. Thats why i am on the side of always using the serial comma before the conjunction rather than using it. The final comma in a list of items is known as an oxford comma or serial comma. In english language punctuation, a serial comma, or series comma also called an oxford comma or harvard comma, is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction usually and or or in a series of three or more terms. I find myself more and more often rechecking to see if these periodicals and books are british. Generally, british english does not make use of this extra comma, but most publications on the us do. Serial commas and serial semicolons the mla style center. Without a serial comma, you cant be sure whether the last recipe is a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chip or a combination of chocolate chip and coconut. Barack obama, and the prime minister of australia, then each of those.

One such thing is the serial comma, a naughty little comma that has become the subject of much debate across the web and between publishing houses worldwide. In a series of three or more items, use a comma before the final and or or. Patti and her friends are debating about the serial comma the comma that comes before the final conjunction in a list. Thats because the author is telling us what places do in those countries they live in. For example, i can say that i like apples, bananas, and oranges, but some stylebooks would tell me to take out the comma after bananas.

At one time the brits did use it, but without wanting to get all historical, lets just make sure we get this right. But, as with wearing white in october, there are factors to consider before making your choice. With the exception of newspapers, most publications use the serial comma, because it helps writers avoid ambiguity. The proper place for the comma is before the conjunction. However, the final commathe one that comes before the and is optional. If the series includes internal commas that necessitate semicolons or uses a conjunction such as and, include the comma. Dont switch back and forth in the same document between using the oxford comma and not using it. Despite the fact that not all style books agree on this issue, we recommend using a comma after the nexttolast item in a seriesthe serial or oxford or harvard. You already know that appositives are nouns that rename other nouns. But, if youre talking about using a comma before and in a list of things, that is definitely a style rule. If i have 3 editors for a book, endnote gives me the following citation. Do not use commas if all the items are separated by and or or.