A frequent topic of discussion among students pertains to the correct placement of commas in academic writing. How and where to place commas in lists can become especially tricky. This confusion arises because the rules and their exceptions to commas aren’t clear. We will help clarify these with this article. Here, we provide explanations with examples concerning commas in lists.
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When to place commas in lists
In general, you put a comma if the list contains three or more than three items. If there are only two items listed, so a pair, you don’t put a comma between them.
Comma
Three or more items
Series of adjectives
Series of phrases
No comma
In pairs
Comma guidelines can change based on style guides, and intricate sentences might come with exemptions. Reflect on the readability when excluding commas.
Commas in lists
When you name exactly three or more than three items in your list, you put commas in lists. Without a comma, the words would all join and confuse the reader.
Three or more items
The general rule of thumb for putting commas in lists is if you name three or more items. You can put a serial comma, also called Oxford comma, before the last listed item, but you can also omit it. Below, we show four example sentences to illustrate this.
Examples: Oxford comma
- I need to buy apples, oranges, spinach, and bananas.
- This year, we plan to visit London, Rome, or Barcelona.
Examples: No Oxford comma
- The recipe calls for flour, sugar, butter and chocolate chips.
- My favourite novels are either “1984”, “Pride and Prejudice” or “The Great Gatsby”.
Series of adjectives
When you use multiple adjectives to describe a noun, use commas in lists to separate them.
Examples
- His colorful, vibrant artwork was popular in the gallery.
- She wore a blue, elegant dress.
- The old, abandoned house on the hill seems mysterious.
Series of phrases
If you have a list of phrases or clauses within a sentence separate them with commas in lists.
Examples
- My daily routine involves going jogging, having breakfast, and going to work.
- He loves swimming in the lake, travelling the world, and hiking in the mountains.
- To prepare for the exam, she studied, reviewed her notes, and practiced questions.
No commas in lists
When you’re simply listing two items, it’s a pair. In this case, there is no need for commas in lists.
In pairs
No commas in lists are placed if there are only two items. You typically don’t need a comma between them.
Examples
- My mom and dad are both teachers.
- The menu options for the party include curry and sandwiches.
- Her favourite colors are purple and black.
Test yourself!
Practice sheet
To assess your comprehension of the utilization of commas in lists, it is recommended to accurately place them in a total of 10 sentences. Check your answers in the second tab.
- I need to buy cheese as well as new pants.
- She wore a red, beautiful dress to the party.
- The team consists of John Mary and Alex.
- My favourite fruits are apples oranges and bananas.
- He enjoys playing soccer, going swimming, and playing chess.
- The book includes chapters on history and science.
- She packed her suitcase with clothes shoes and toiletries.
- They visited France and Spain on their holiday.
- The grocery list includes milk and bread.
- The menu offers a variety of options including pasta pizza and salads.
- I need to buy cheese as well as new pants. (No comma)
- She wore a red, beautiful dress to the party. (Comma)
- The team consists of John, Mary, and Alex. (Comma)
- My favourite fruits are apples, oranges, and bananas. (Comma)
- He enjoys playing soccer, going swimming, and playing chess. (Comma)
- The book includes chapters on history and science. (No comma)
- She packed her suitcase with clothes, shoes, and toiletries. (Comma)
- They visited France and Spain on their holiday. (No comma)
- The grocery list includes milk and bread. (No comma)
- The menu offers a variety of options, including pasta, pizza, and salads. (Comma)
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FAQs
When it comes to using commas or semicolons in lists, the general rule is to use commas to separate items in a list. However, there are cases where semicolons are used instead of commas. Semicolons are typically used when the items in the list contain commas themselves or when the list is complex.
Yes, commas are typically used in lists of three or more items. The use of commas in lists helps to separate and clarify the individual items.
When listing names, commas are typically used to separate each individual name.
Example
- John, Mary, and Alex
The use of commas in this context helps to clarify and separate the individual names in the list.
The commas help to separate and clarify each individual adjective in the list.
Example
She wore a beautiful, elegant, and stylish dress.
The commas help to separate and clarify each individual adjective in the list.
Here are a few examples of commas used in a series:
- I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
- She wore a beautiful, elegant, and stylish dress.
- The book includes chapters on history, geography, and science.
