Usage of a comma before 'and' (Guest: Tharabg)

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#852 Mon, 16 Jun 03 02:14 PM

is the usage of comma before the word 'and' correct in this sentence- "(e.g. sales, customer support, and quality)."

Guest

Commas

hitchhiker

#858 Mon, 16 Jun 03 02:53 PM

While there are many styles of punctuation in English, I would opt to correct this sentence:

...sales, customer support and quality.

hitchhiker

Joined on Mon, Nov 18 2002

Malta, Europe

Senior Member (3,393)

"OK, so ten out of ten for style, but minus several million for good thinking, yeah?"

Commas, Punctuation

Pia

#919 Tue, 17 Jun 03 09:20 AM

yep hitch. no use for comma before an 'and'.

Pia

Joined on Mon, Mar 24 2003

Malta

Full Member (103)

Commas

Jules

#920 Tue, 17 Jun 03 01:16 PM

I would always use a COMMA before AND unless the last 2 items are related. For example, 1, 2, 3 and 4, would suggest 3 and 4 are coupled. 1, 2, 3, and 4 provides an absolute definition suggesting that the 3 and the 4 are seperate entities, which they are!

Jules

Joined on Tue, Jun 17 2003

New Member (02)

Commas

hitchhiker

#933 Tue, 17 Jun 03 06:29 PM

1 for, 2 against. Chris, what's your take on this?

hitchhiker

Commas

mainframe

#953 Wed, 18 Jun 03 05:08 AM

I'm also troubled when choosing between these sentences:

1. Computer peripherals may include printers, mouse and keyboards, tape and disk drives, and consoles.

2. Computer peripherals may include printers, mouse and keyboards, tape and disk drives and consoles.

mainframe

Joined on Wed, Jun 18 2003

New Member (09)

Commas

hitchhiker

#955 Wed, 18 Jun 03 06:50 AM

I would write it:

Computer peripherals can include printers, mice and keyboards, tape drives, disk drives and consoles.

-I chose 'can' over 'may' but that's just my feeling on it.
-Mouse should be mice
-tape drives, disk drives (to avoid 'ands')

It is a tough sentence!

As Carla pointed out earlier, it's U.S to put a comma after the final and.

hitchhiker

Commas

Jules

#974 Wed, 18 Jun 03 01:30 PM

If I want a sentence clear of any doubt then it has to be number 1 in your examples. In your examples you have cleverly chosen items that are linked, e.g. Tape and Disk Drives, along with other references around the same topic. In your second example we see no seperation between "Tape, Disk Drive, and Consoles. Are they all related? If it is highly important to provide seperation between items, example 1 is the only way you can do this, hence why it is the best format to use.

Jules

Numbers, Commas

Pia

#975 Wed, 18 Jun 03 02:21 PM

Just to further the debate *grin* ...... Michael Swan in Pratical English Usage says this on the use of commas .... "Commas are used to separate items in series or list, but they are often not used between the last two items.

'i'd like to visit Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Yugoslavia'.

if the last two items are long, we are more likely to use commas.

'I spent yeterday playing cricket, drinking beer, and talking about the meaning of life'."

he didn't say never but "often". so we're ALL right !!!!! possibly!

Pia

Commas, Cricket

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