How To Use Commas When Listing Multiple Items
Don t put a comma after a number.
How to use commas when listing multiple items. Without the comma custard and banana muffins could be one item. Please buy bread and milk. Use commas to separate things in a list or series. Note that some style guides would not add the comma after the word eggs. Charlie has to buy flashlight batteries breath butter cookies breath ice cream breath and cake.
Alexander s bridge willa cather when there are more than two items use commas between each item. Numbers aren t separated from other descriptions or from the word s that they describe. Commas with two list items. The commas between these items are signals. Delicately gracefully and joyfully the ballerina twirled onto the stage include a comma between each independent clause you list in a sentence.
My estate goes to my husband son daughter in law and nephew. This probably the first use of commas you learned in school. Please buy custard and banana muffins. If you have a series of three or more items use commas to separate each item. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items.
When multiple adjectives modify a noun to an equal degree they are said to be coordinate and should be separated by commas. Nouns verbs and adjectives all need commas when you use three or more. For example here is a list separated by commas. The cake mix requires flour sugar eggs and butter. If each item is comprised of only one or two words the last comma is optional.
In a series the comma before the conjunction is optional unless 1 there are three or more items in the series and the items are long. 2 the last comma is needed to turn a series with two possible interpretations into a series with only one clear interpretation and meaning. Remember that any type of word can considered an item on a list. Use a comma after an introductory word or phrase. More descriptive words that you shouldn t separate from other descriptions or from the words that they describe include other.