How To Use Commas When Listing Multiple Items

Without the comma custard and banana muffins could be one item.

How to use commas when listing multiple items. Don t put a comma after a number. At the store i will buy apples oranges pears and bananas do not place commas before or after the list or series. Delicately gracefully and joyfully the ballerina twirled onto the stage include a comma between each independent clause you list in a sentence. Commas are used to separate items in a list. When there are two items in a list don t use a comma to separate the list items unless it helps your reader.

More descriptive words that you shouldn t separate from other descriptions or from the words that they describe include other. For example here is a list separated by commas. If the sentence still sounds natural the adjectives are coordinate. Separating items in a list of three or more things. When multiple adjectives modify a noun to an equal degree they are said to be coordinate and should be separated by commas.

2 the last comma is needed to turn a series with two possible interpretations into a series with only one clear interpretation and meaning. Also don t use commas to separate other descriptions from words that indicate number or amount many more few less and so forth. Nouns verbs and adjectives all need commas when you use three or more. The cake mix requires flour sugar eggs and butter. Commas customarily indicate a brief pause.

Remember that any type of word can considered an item on a list. 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. Two cotton handkerchiefs some brass trinkets and a little. The comma in front of the word and 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. The comma helps the reader. Commas with two list items. Hilda was back in a few moments wearing a long gray squirrel coat and a broad fur hat. They re not as final as periods.