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Which of these sentences is written correctly?

  1. Angela has three brothers, Mark, Adam, and Ryan.
  2. Angela has three brothers: Mark, Adam, and Ryan.
  3. Angela has three brothers Mark, Adam, and Ryan
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3 Answers

up vote 8 down vote

Angela has three brothers: Mark, Adam, and Ryan.

That's the one to go with.

N.B. This is called the syntactical-descriptive function of the colon: it "introduces a description—in particular, makes explicit the elements of a set" (Wikipedia)

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2  
The example with no punctuation is horrible by the way. :D – Alenanno Apr 13 '11 at 17:19
The comma before the and really bothers me :| – mplungjan Apr 13 '11 at 17:21
2  
@mplungian: That's another issue. But while the "Oxford comma" may bother you, it's at least a negotiable stylistic point. – Robusto Apr 13 '11 at 17:25
1  
I have it on good authority that the "Oxford comma" didn't even go to college. – The Raven Apr 13 '11 at 17:50
4  
Robusto's answer is correct (of course), but just to add another possibility: you could use a dash, and write Angela has three brothers—Mark, Adam and Ryan. – psmears Apr 13 '11 at 18:10
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up vote 0 down vote

In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. With only a few exceptions, the serial comma clarifies any ambiguity when the meaning is not as simple as the example above. Clarity ought to be the objective in writing!

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up vote 0 down vote

Angela has three brothers: Mark, Adam, and Ryan.

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Welcome to EL&U. Please edit your answer to explain why it is right and to provide at least one reliable citation. Thanks. – MετάEd Jan 29 at 18:06

protected by tchrist Jan 29 at 18:07

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