Questions tagged [lists]
For questions on writing, formatting and speaking a group of connected or related items.
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Correct comma usage in a list with groups
I am writing a list of features, and am stuck on how to correctly handle the comma usage.
There are, essentially, "groups" within the list that are throwing me off.
I'm going to be a bit long-winded ...
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Dependent clause w/list *comma or semicolon* followed by independent clause
Should we use a semicolon or comma when an adverbial dependent clause containing a list is followed by an independent clause?
While not everyone is a Newton, Einstein, or Hawking, every one of them ...
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How to use semicolons (when listing people’s names and actions)?
I’ve been reading this paragraph:
I unlock the bathroom door and pull the handle down, I open it slightly, only to see the face of every family member residing in this house, crowding outside my ...
CommunityBot
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Lists within a list
Here's my list:
Violin, Piano, Reading Music, Dancing: Musical Theater, Swing, Break, Contra, Ballet (beginner,) Singing: Tenor, Conversational Spanish, Card Tricks, Parkour, Biking, Hiking, Rock ...
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Can I use "respectively" to refer to a list in the previous sentence?
Is the following sentence a correct usage of the word "respectively", or can it only be used if the things it is referring to are listed in the same sentence?
"There was a dog, a cat, and a hamster....
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Comma after e.g. list
I am unsure whether to use comma after the example list while using e.g. Any ideas?
these functions, e.g., delay, capacity, throughput, represent better...
or
these functions, e.g., delay, ...
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help: punctuating a long list containing abbreviations [closed]
any suggestions for the following list:
"such as: joiner, Hollaender swivel T, Hollaender horizontal flat plate, jr. end piece, Hollaender split cross, flange base, [Matthews] Big Ben, speedrail ear, ...
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Jack London's list —X, Y, and a Z and a J
On the sled, securely lashed, was a long and narrow oblong box. There
were other things on the sled—blankets, an axe, and a coffee-pot and
frying-pan; but prominent, occupying most of the space, ...
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Commas - yes or no? "Everwhere from..." list
Trying to figure out if this statement needs more (or less) commas:
My position as a flight attendant has taken me everywhere from hiking
in Nepal, to swimming with dolphins in Jamaica, to eating ...
CommunityBot
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Full list of verbs [closed]
Is there any conjugated full list of verbs in English available? I've found lists of the most common ones but I'd like to have a full list that takes into account all the irregular ones as well.
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The use of the words "and" and "well" at the end of a sentence that is a list - conversational inclusion of the word "well"
I'll start with the sentence at hand; it's a doozy!
"I think Sherry cultivates a totally different/unique type of account person and mentality on her team: customer service is far and away #1, plus ...
CommunityBot
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Comma or semicolon to separate a list from 'which'
Food like apples, oranges, and bananas, which are rich with vitamins, are delicious.
Is the sentence above grammatically correct? I know that the comma after 'oranges' is optional (I prefer to use ...
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Should I include a comma after a mid-sentence list of three things?
For example, "Race, religion, and gender, are still crucial factor's in someone's success"
Should there be a comma after "gender"? And is this a fixed rule?
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Do I start a list with 1 item with a colon?
I often have to note down a list of people I send documents to at work, eg.,
'PDF sent to: John, Edith, and Margery'
If I only send the document to John, should I still use the colon?
'PDF sent to: ...
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Semicolon for list of examples between two types of thing
I just read that you should use a semicolon for a list where the list items contain commas. However, my sentence doesn't have a list as the main "list" only two items. Or do two items already count as ...
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Should the introductory sentence of a bulleted list end with a colon or a period?
Which of the two examples below is the right way to punctuate the introductory sentence before a bulleted list where each list item is a complete sentence ending with a period?
Example 1
There are a ...
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What is the rule that describes the usage of "or" between multiple adjectives describing the same noun? [closed]
What is the rule that describes the use of "or" in these sentences?
"Do you want strawberry or grape jelly?"
"Can I drive the red, blue, or green car?"
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Can linking verbs and action verbs be together as elements of the same list?
I am writing a sentence that contains a list of elements in it. Some of the elements are formed with linking verbs and some with action verbs.
For example:
Laura is a sexy lady, smells heavenly, ...
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'one of the best stylists and most lucid minds'
"White is one of the best stylists and most lucid minds in this country."
Do you like this sentence? ...'one of the best' -X- and 'most' -Y- ... I guess what it boils down to is my unfamiliarity ...
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list separated by commas with no "and" at the end [duplicate]
Is it possible to have a list of items separated by commas where the last item in the list is not preceded by 'and'?
For example, "the river runs through dense bush, towns, cities, farms, dams, ...
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What is the best way to express relations between one party on one side, and two on the other
I recently read the following sentence:
He helped normalize relations between the US and Vietnam and Laos.
Assuming Vietnam and Laos already had normal relations with each other (which they might ...
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Using "and" multiple times within a list
The sentence in question is:
Today I went to the store, bought eggs, cheese, and milk, and bread.
Is it ever proper to write the first and? Other cases I find use the and to connect one thing ...
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Using plural to describe a compound list item
Say I have the following list:
• DataDetail – Implements functionalities of the Data detail window, i.e., accepted data monitoring on individual ports of the FPGA multiplexers and the switch.
• ...
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List at start of a sentence
How would I correctly place a list at the start of a sentence? For example, how what is the correct way to write:
Pens, markers, pencils I had it all.
If a comma doesn't work, could I use a hyphen ...
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How to nest lists within sentences
I'm working with a sentence that looks like this:
John thinks that there is a problem with department X because "picking an item from department X and moving it to another department" will crash ...
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Comma after "approximately" at the beginning of a list of figures
I am in the process of editing some proofs of an article for a scientific journal and came across the following sentence (somewhat edited as the relevant data has not yet been published):
...
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Specific vocabulary request for a family of words [duplicate]
This is my first question on this website, so I hope I don't embarrass myself.
While I was helping my friend study for the GRE exam, I noticed that a lot of the vocabulary lists contained two word ...
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Is it acceptable to use plural nouns and mass singular in a list together? [duplicate]
I was taught that when you form a comma-separated list, they should have the same form (singular or plural).
I encountered the sentence below and I can't tell if it is grammatically correct.
I ...
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Serial commas where list items are linked
Should one use the serial comma in all lists, or only those where each list item is independent?
For example, where each item in the list belongs to the same noun:
'...we looked at the geology, ...
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Using a colon after a single word
I write instructions for our assembly lines. Frequently, I need to call their attention to something that is not a step, but that they need to know. My usual way of doing this is to write, "Note: Do ...
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Punctuation after a list introduced by a colon in the middle of a sentence [duplicate]
Consider the following sentence:
I am particularly grateful to seven people: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G[?] for our numerous merry gatherings, whether with reason or not.
The question is: What ...
CommunityBot
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"Basic idea is" or "Basic ideas are"
Not sure how to adequately describe a process. Say I want to describe how to bake a cake. Which would be a better fit?
The basic idea of making a cake is to mix up the batter, put the batter in a pan,...
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How to use quotes in a list with commas
This is a sentence that I wrote:
In the text, words such as greenbacks, ironclads, and blockade were used.
However, I think there should be quotations around the words. How would I place them? ...
CommunityBot
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Use of "and" and "or" in lists when intent is to dissallow all items
Sometimes it is unclear to me whether "or" or "and" should be used in a list. For example I have seen the following lease agreement:
The dwelling may not be used for illegal activities: including ...
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Using 'and' in an incomplete list [duplicate]
For my CV, I want to list a selection of units I have done at university. This list is not a complete list of all my units. Do I therefore need to add an 'and' at the end of the list? What I mean is:
...
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Punctuation when writing out a numbered list with the words "one", "two", etc
I am unsure of the proper way to write out a numbered list when the individual numbers "one, two", etc. are spelled out. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
"The plan failed for three ...
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Semicolons at the end of list items
In school, we were taught to end each list item with a semicolon. But I have never actually seen this. Can somebody please confirm this? Should we end each list item with anything at all?
I've seen ...
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The Oxford Comma and its relation to a list with only two entries. [closed]
The sentence is as follows:
I work in disaster management and prevention, and international aid and development.
2 Questions:
Can a list include just two entries as above?
Can the Oxford comma be ...
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How to list people with a short explanation
Andy, Bob, Christine, his girlfriend, Debby and I are going for dinner
tomorrow.
Christine is Bob's girlfriend. There are no other relations. There are five people altogether. Is the quoted ...
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Is it proper to use a colon followed immediately by a hyphen?
I have seen some writing where people have a list or a figure in writing and they will write something like this:
The information is provided in Image
3:-
Is that correct? Is this a British ...
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Is there any rule which dictates the ordering of non-proper, non-pronoun nouns in a list?
For example,
Is "Design, Operation, and Management," as equally good of a list as "Management, Operation, and Design?"
My colleagues and I are having a tough time reasoning why one sounds better ...
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Serial Punctuation in multiple complex clauses, with references
I am trying to edit an academic paper, with a complex sentence which includes an interpolation within em dashes. The interpolation terminates with a reference in brackets, and is also the first item ...
CommunityBot
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Singular or Plural in a list?
When naming multiple things in the form in a list is it singular or plural?
i.e.
The charts can be found in Appendix A, B, and C.
or
The charts can be found in Appendices A, B, and C.
CommunityBot
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What is the proper punctuation for examples that describe items in a list? [duplicate]
How would you punctuate a sentence that contains a list of items, with several examples for each item. For example:
"I have found an existing relationship of qualities through a certain model: words ...
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Sentences in parentheses, followed by semicolon
Here is the sentence. They are answers to a series of questions but the grammar must be accurate. It is on a chemistry topic, so you can ignore that aspect of it:
(A) Bi has half of its 6p orbital ...
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Can you format a bullet list as a paragraph (so to speak)?
I have no objection to using a bullet list, but to save space I'd like to make the list inline. I know it's not strictly correct grammar, but I know with numbered lists like:
A good article is made ...
CommunityBot
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Starting every item of an enumeration with to
I am writing a research and I have to describe a process. To do this I have chosen an enumeration as follows:
To include ...
To add ...
To program ...
To write ...
I am not sure about ...
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Using "and" in a list with an element already containing "and" [duplicate]
I'm struggling with the following sentence in an APA format paper. I don't like the double usage of and here, but 'supply and demand' is one thing in this context. Is this correct or do I need to make ...
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Singular or plural following a list
Can anyone tell me if I should use inspire or inspires in this phrase?
An extraordinary leader whose vision, values, integrity and boundless curiosity inspires all who follow in his footsteps.
CommunityBot
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And-Or Usage | Exclusion or Inclusion of Listed Items
During a debate the other night in the NM legislature there was a question as to whether the list in the paragraph pictured was exclusionary or inclusionary due to the use of "or" followed by an "and" ...
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