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Nyarlathotep
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118334
Thu, 14 Jul 05 05:14 PM
I agree with Jules. I always fully split up lists with commas; otherwise, you give the impression that the last item is, in someway, related to the penultimate item!
-Nyarlathotep
Joined on
Fri, Jun 24 2005
England
New Member
45
"Don't screw with my disco Nadine!!"
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Anonymous,
3 yr 61 days ago
In academic writing, a comma is neccessary before and in a series. It is called an "Oxford Comma". You will see journalists in newspaper not use the comma before the and, but again if you are going to write and want to show a more academic approach, the comma before the and is neccessary.
Anonymous,
2 yr 275 days ago
 Guest wrote: | | is the usage of comma before the word 'and' correct in this sentence- "(e.g. sales, customer support, and quality)." |
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The purpose of this letter is to introduce myself and to inform you of our valuable services.
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Grammar Geek
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325353
Tue, 06 Feb 07 11:12 PM
If the purpose of your question is to ask whether you need a comma in that sentence, Anon, the answer is "no."
Joined on
Tue, Jan 10 2006
Veteran Member
19,508
Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!
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Anonymous,
2 yr 243 days ago
Being an English teacher in a foriegn country, I'm confronted by this question daily. It is a matter of style in North America and you may choose to use either one, but you should be consistant throughout the document or letter you are writing. In Britain they tend never to put a comma before 'and.' When it comes to connecting sentences with 'and' that is a completely different question.
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Shreksbro
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338280
Mon, 12 Mar 07 06:30 AM
You are talking about a serial comma.My understanding is that it is entirely optional, but that it should be used whenever it may help in the parsing of a sentence. In your example, it is conceivable that your list items are actually 'sales, customer support and customer quality'. I would use a comma as it eliminates the potential for confusion.
Joined on
Sun, Mar 11 2007
New Member
09
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Anonymous,
2 yr 120 days ago
Actually in American English comma is put against the last items. e.g. sales, customer support, and quality. Britishers dont put the comma. ![Big Smile [:D]](/emoticons/emotion-2.gif)
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Grammar Geek
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391265
Thu, 12 Jul 07 02:29 PM
Hello Anon.
Please see the post above yours, which mentions the serial (sometimes called Oxford) comma. It is optional, but consistency is key. It's not correct to say that American English always puts it there - see the AP Stylebook, for example.
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Anonymous,
1 yr 284 days ago
Tharabg,
According to the two English reference manuals I own, proper punctuation places the comma before the "and" in a series. Journalists often leave out commas before “and” in a series; however, this practice originally started to save space in newspapers. May I suggest that you invest in a writing manual?
I quoted McKernan because two-thirds of the individuals that responded to your inquiry are wrong.
“22.2 (b) To separate items in a series, a comma is used
Sluggo ordered radishes, carrots, garlic, and coffee for breakfast. [series of nouns]
The team swam past the dock, around the lake, and up the creek. [series of prepositional phrases]
The officer asked Eliott where he lived, what he did for a living, why he was out so late, and how he had managed to fall asleep in a tree. [series of noun clauses]
The carrots were old, brown, warm, spotted. [series of adjectives. Occasionally, the and is omitted for rhythm and emphasis or to indicate the series is not exhaustive.” (McKernan 696)
McKernan, John. The Writer's Handbook. 2nd ed. Orlando: Harcourt Brace (1991).
Aaron, Jane E. The Little Brown Compact Handbook. 4th ed. Addison-Wesley (2001): 254-255.
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