Asked by: Corey Boyer

To separate the items in a list. Punctuation is used to separate the items in the list. The usual way of doing this is to place a comma after each item in the list: The school has a vegetable garden in which the children grow cabbages, onions, potatoes, and carrots.

How do you punctuate a list with commas?

When making a list, commas are the most common way to separate one list item from the next. The final two items in the list are usually separated by “and” or “or”, which should be preceeded by a comma. Amongst editors this final comma in a list is known as the “Oxford Comma”.

Do you put a comma after each item in a list?

Although many of us were taught not to use a comma before and in a list, today the vast majority of style guides do advocate the use of the serial comma because it can prevent a possible misreading.

How do you punctuate a list of examples?

If your list is simple, you can also use a colon to introduce the list and commas to separate the items. Example: Last night Regina saw: a mouse, a wizard, and a tomato. If your list is complex, use a colon to introduce the list and semicolons to separate the items.

Do you use commas or semicolons in a list?

Semicolons can be used to link items in a list, such as objects, locations, names and descriptions. Where the list items already contain commas, a semicolon helps avoid confusion between the items; in this way the semicolon acts like a ‘super comma’.

When writing a list do you put a comma before and?

The comma before the word and in a list of three or more things is the Oxford comma. It’s also called the Serial comma. Writers use it to separate the last item in a list to avoid uncertainty or misunderstandings. One classic example that is often quoted is, to my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.

Should I put a comma before the last item in a list?

The final comma in a list of items is known as an Oxford comma or serial comma. Some writers omit it, but doing so can cause confusion. In the example immediately above, the serial comma makes it clear that the writer is taking two separate economics courses next semester. Omitting the serial comma makes this unclear.

How do you use a semicolon in a list examples?

Semicolons separate items in a complex list. For example, The Council is comprised of ten members: three from Sydney, Australia; four from Auckland, New Zealand; two from Suva, Fiji; and one from Honiara, Solomon Islands. Semicolons join two closely related independent clauses.