Questions tagged [oxford-comma]

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-3 votes
1 answer
58 views

Why is the Oxford comma a stylistic choice? [closed]

I've gone through the threads on the Oxford comma and I am wondering why it is a stylistic choice rather than a standard practice, particularly with 3/+ items connected with "and"? My point ...
1 vote
0 answers
24 views

Can I use a comma before "and" to show information at the end of a sentence only applies to the latter subject?

Take this sentence: It applies to EU institutions and national governments when implementing EU law The 'when implementing EU law' could be interpreted as being the case for both subjects (EU ...
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1 answer
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How to write a list of items, where the last item is a compound item? [duplicate]

I have a sentence that contains a list of items, and the last item in the list contains an "and" (e.g. like a pet shop may sell "hampsters" and "cat and dog beds", but ...
0 votes
1 answer
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a project involving training for children, teachers, and parents(,) was the most effective [duplicate]

is adding the comma before was necessary? a project involving training for children, teachers, and parents(,) was the most effective
5 votes
3 answers
9k views

Can I use a comma before an ampersand?

Question Can I use a comma (,) before an ampersand (&)? If no, then why not? Example The same products attracted all European countries to India: spices, silk, & cotton.
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Using the oxford comma to separate two entities of which one has an article

Considering that I do not want to switch the positions of the italicized nouns in this sentence: "Taken as examples are the Limboagan effect, and hysteria." Will it be correct to use the ...
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0 answers
93 views

Comma before "as well as" in a series

I am writing a text in which I use the serial comma ("Oxford comma"). Example: She used to play with Ben, Alice, and Tom. Do I still need a comma if I replace the and with as well as? ...
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1 answer
705 views

What do missing an Oxford comma and having it mean respectively here? [duplicate]

A tweet in trending says The highlights of his waning administration include encounters with Rudy Giuliani, a healthcare disaster and a dildo collector. A response says People keep telling me this ...
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1 vote
0 answers
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Does the Oxford comma apply to ampersands?

I came across this text on a shoe description: Durable but light, & flexible enough to move with the foot. I am well aware of the Oxford Comma, so the text would use durable but light, and ...
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0 votes
1 answer
111 views

Usage of Oxford comma in particular case [closed]

In the sentence I had eggs, toast, and orange juice. we're clearly speaking of three different items (eggs + toast + orange juice). My question is, if I don't use the oxford comma in that case I ...
0 votes
0 answers
37 views

What is the correct way to punctuate this text?

I would like to know your thoughts on how to correctly punctuate this text: One of the most visited places here in Manila is Binondo, often referred to as the business capital at the time, before ...
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1 vote
1 answer
102 views

Coordinating conjunction for connecting list items

In compliance with the Oxford comma when listing three or more items a comma is used between the items and before and. What if in a list of three items two of them have a word in common (edge ...
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Regarding Punctuation [duplicate]

Which of the following is correct ? 1) A, B, C and D 2) A, B, C, and D
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0 answers
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Comma - American versus British, Really? [duplicate]

So, from my writing infancy, my High School Teacher Mom taught me never to place a comma before the conjunction in any list of more than 2 things and yet there seems to be quite some debate about it, ...
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Oxford comma with nonessential phrases

So, I've got the following list containing a nonessential phrase ("ultimately"), non-Oxford comma: stifling curiosity, creativity and, ultimately, progress. Is it then correct, when converted to ...
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1 vote
1 answer
1k views

What is the two-item list equivalent of the Oxford comma?

I was recently told that the Oxford comma is only for lists with three or more items. A preliminary search confirms this, as far as I can tell. I'm wondering if there is an equivalent word for a comma ...
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1 answer
2k views

Please, is a comma required after the word 'lists'?

I have written many poems, topped lists and helped other poets. Also, is a comma required after the word 'wells' here? I spent years trimming flowers, digging wells and doing dishes.
6 votes
1 answer
168 views

Is the solution of the Maine Legislature to the Oxford Comma Case.....clunky?

The Oxford Comma Case (Oakhurst Dairy in Portland, ME vs its drivers) has been settled for five million dollars. According to The New York Times The relatively small-scale dispute gained ...
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1 vote
0 answers
427 views

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 ...
-3 votes
2 answers
330 views

Serial comma causing ambiguity [duplicate]

EDIT: This question is not addressed by Oxford Comma Conventions, if I'm wrong, then please provide a link to a particular answer or comment that does address my question. (Such links appear in ...
0 votes
2 answers
134 views

What punctuation should I use? [closed]

What punctuation should I use here? Hester needs to be more grateful and focus on: her baby, Pearl; and her sewing.
-1 votes
1 answer
300 views

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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1 vote
2 answers
63 views

What's the best way to solve this run on sentence (lots of "and"s)?

I have to change a description for something in our app, and I was given this sentence: Create, edit and delete camera assignments and camera and DVR settings. Now the lack of an Oxford comma is ...
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10 votes
3 answers
15k views

Is there an "Oxford semicolon"?

I must admit that I don't use semicolon lists very often. (In some instances, I probably should have.) I will also admit that I'm neither-here-nor-there with the use of an Oxford comma. Sometimes I ...
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5 votes
0 answers
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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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2 answers
382 views

Does this sentence contain two independent clauses?

I am trying to determine how to write the following sentence correctly: "We all have goals we would like to accomplish and dreams we would like to fulfill." I am not sure if I should add a comma ...
-1 votes
1 answer
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use of comma in a series [duplicate]

In a series of three items (e,g. "I have a big, a small and a medium sized dog."), do you include a comma after the second item in the series and before the conjunction (in this example after the word ...
5 votes
1 answer
16k views

Is there a comma *after* a list with an Oxford comma?

Explanations of the Oxford comma often use examples that either consist of the list alone or a sentence that ends in a list, e.g.: red, white, and blue To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God. What is ...
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-1 votes
1 answer
1k views

Should there be a comma in this sentence? [closed]

In the introduction to The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins there is the following sentence: "The correct word of the title to stress is 'gene' and let me explain why." I thought that since and ...
0 votes
0 answers
667 views

Punctuation and Intonation in Enumerations Occurring in Mathematics

Here, John Lawler writes the following: Commas are not determined by grammar or by which words they follow. Comma indicates a particular intonation. If you would use that intonation in speaking the ...
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-1 votes
1 answer
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Is comma needed before 'and' in this sentence?

We use comma in lists. Apart from that, comma is needed before and when joining two independent clauses. For example: I want to write, and I have stamps. Here I am clearly joining two independent ...
1 vote
1 answer
128 views

Using commas to connect independent clauses

I know that it is correct to connect independent clauses using a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) as in "He rides a bike, and she drives a car." But is it ...
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1 vote
1 answer
588 views

When "and" is used two different ways in a sentence . . .

I know it is not correct to put a comma before "and" if the subject is the same but I feel like I should do so if "and" appears earlier in the sentence like this: He was convicted of murder and human ...
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is 'Oxford Comma' Capitalised?

I was taught in primary school that a common noun refers to a thing, idea, person, etc. whereas a proper noun refers to a specific thing, idea, person, etc. and that when referring to specifics and ...
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1 vote
1 answer
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Quoting text that omits Oxford commas in a paper that includes Oxford commas

I'm writing a paper, and I quote several lists from a source that doesn't use Oxford commas. Sic seems way too strong for the situation, since there's no real error in the quotes, just a different ...
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1 vote
2 answers
96 views

The use of comma before 'and'

Here's a sentence that's quite confusing to me: You should provide a strategy that is based on the criteria specified in the document,and a formula calculating the return. What are the two parts ...
0 votes
2 answers
3k views

Too many "ands" in one sentence create ambiguity

Cloning must be researched and funded, however, its human involvement must be limited to prevent a veritable onslaught of ethical and legal battles, and promote its potential health and societal ...
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3 answers
78 views

Comma or not in "help people discover, and grow in, faith"

There is some difference in opinion whether or not the below sentence should have the commas as shown or not. Are there any rules that this would be based on? Do they make the sentence clearer? Any ...
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2 answers
114 views

Contract interpretation

To be eligible for holiday pay the employee must meet the following requirement: the employee must have worked the last scheduled day before, and the first scheduled day after a holiday except when ...
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1 answer
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Should there be a comma between 'you' and 'darling' here? [duplicate]

Should there be a comma after you in the following sentence? Here's to you darling.
2 votes
2 answers
720 views

Comma with dates - oddity

I KNOW the rule is to put a comma after full dates, but in this case, it seems to be a bit much: "...the contract runs from July 1, 2015 through July 31, 2016, and should be amended as such. Because ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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What commas rule is used here?

I have a question regarding how the rules of commas apply in a particular sentence. I cannot seem to work out what rules go with the following excerpt: The desert savanna of the Neolithic Period, ...
1 vote
2 answers
4k views

Serial comma in a list of verbs [closed]

I'm writing a text according to APA standards. The rule regarding serial commas states "Use a comma between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or more items." Does this also ...
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1 vote
1 answer
636 views

Commas, subject and verb

In my understanding, the use of a comma is needed when you are connecting two sentences, which both need there own subject and verb. With that said, in the sentence below: "The best mindset is to ...
0 votes
0 answers
33 views

when wishing someone a happy birthday is a comma used before their name? [duplicate]

When wishing someone a happy birthday is a comma used before their name? Happy Birthday, John Happy Birthday John
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1 vote
1 answer
369 views

Comma before conjuctions in predicates containing two coordinate clauses

I know that a comma is necessary before a conjunction joining two independent clauses, like in the following examples: John is tall, and Mary is fast. The food is excellent, but the service is awful. ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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Two pairs of items and three times and. How to put the comma?

I'm just proofreading my thesis a last time and I stumbled upon the following (I'm nonnative english speaker): To describe the flow of two fluids with saturations S and T and pressures P and Q, we ....
1 vote
1 answer
21k views

Use of commas around 'though'

With regard to the use of commas around 'though', which of the following is correct or deemed more appropriate? 'It is interesting, though, as I've done a lot of work in...' 'It is interesting though, ...
1 vote
2 answers
246 views

where should the comma be if the clause is not independent?

I have heard this about the comma before and. Generally speaking, you want to use a comma in sentences made of two independent clauses connected by one of the following seven coordinating ...
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1 answer
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Comma usage dilemma

What I want to say is that the church would be your hospital, the holy water would be your medicine, and the priest would be your doctor. But since "would be" seems too overused and redundant in the ...