An Oxford, or serial, comma is the last comma in a list; it goes before the word “and.” Technically, it’s grammatically optional in American English. However, depending on the list you are writing out, omitting it can lead to some confusion.

Use a comma after a dependent clause that starts a sentence. A dependent clause is a grammatical unit that contains both subject and verb but cannot stand on its own, like “When I went running …” Commas always follow these clauses at the start of a sentence.

Well, appropriately enough, the Oxford Dictionary has the answer. The proper definition of the Oxford comma is “a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before ‘and’ or ‘or’.” For example: “Today I went to lunch with my roommates, Tom, and Molly.”

There are four types of comma: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas. A listing comma can always be replaced by the word and or or: Vanessa seems to live on eggs, pasta and aubergines. Vanessa seems to live on eggs and pasta and aubergines.

Use commas to separate three or more items in a series. Lists of three or more words, phrases, and clauses require commas between each item. For example: a. The fox shouts, cackles, and yells.

This practice is controversial and is known as the serial comma or Oxford comma, because it is part of the house style of Oxford University Press.” There are cases in which the use of the serial comma can avoid ambiguity and also instances in which its use can introduce ambiguity.

The short answer: No. Many writers, including journalists, live by the Associated Press stylebook. AP style does not use Oxford commas. However, Chicago style does require Oxford commas.

Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. The sentence above written in AP style would look like this: Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.

Don’t switch back and forth in the same document between using the Oxford comma and not using it. By the way, this rule only applies to lists of three or more items. You should not use a comma before and if you’re only mentioning two qualities.

(In most cases, The Times stylebook discourages the serial comma, often called the Oxford comma because it was traditionally used by the Oxford University Press.)

When you’re writing a list, you naturally include commas to separate each item, but an Oxford comma is when you also put a comma before the “and [Final Item]”. For example: Without Oxford comma: “Her favourite foods were chocolate, marshmallows, cake and chicken.”

The Oxford comma is the comma placed before the conjunction at the end of a list of things. For example, in “the flag was red, white, and blue”, the Oxford comma would be the one appearing before “and”. Proponents of the Oxford comma say it’s necessary for removing ambiguity in sentences.

• Commas (Eight Basic Uses)
• USE A COMMA TO SEPARATE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES.
• USE A COMMA AFTER AN INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE OR PHRASE.
• USE A COMMA BETWEEN ALL ITEMS IN A SERIES.
• USE COMMAS TO SET OFF NONRESTRICTIVE CLAUSES.
• USE A COMMA TO SET OFF APPOSITIVES.
• USE A COMMA TO INDICATE DIRECT ADDRESS.

A comma is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause in a sentence or separates items in a list. A comma is also used before the words “and” or “but” to join two independent clauses.

Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause. a. Common starter words for introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while. While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.

Rule of thumb: a comma indicates a pause in speech. When in doubts then, read the sentence aloud. If you pause at some place, insert a comma to mark the pause. Still, commas are more than simple pause-markers; they help the reader understand the structure of the sentence and resolve ambiguity.

Whenever words are to be emphasized use a pause before it. When you are trying to read a long sentence break into useful, meaningful understandable, bits of sentences, information. It is ok to pause at all punctuation marks.

Just as you wouldn’t randomly divide a word in half because of a line break (unless indicated with a hyphen), you wouldn’t separate the word and the comma that follows it. They should stay together, on the same line. About the line break, the comma should stay at the end of the previous line, like this.

When you speak, how often and how long should you pause? Best answer: “Try 1-2-3”

Two independent clauses can also be joined into one compound sentence with a semicolon alone. (Note: You can use a comma between independent clauses only if you also use a coordinating conjunction.) To learn how to form a compound sentence like this, look at these simple sentences.

Prof Crystal said “people simply do not put full stops in, unless they want to make a point.” Period., economics writer Jeff Guo concluded that the line break is now the default method of punctuation in texting. Full stops, he said, can cause the message to be perceived as “cold, angry or passive-aggressive.”

Full stops always go at the end of a sentence: ‘I love tennis. ‘

When a passage within round brackets is at the end of a sentence, of which it is only a part, place the full stop after the closing bracket. However, when the bracketed passage is a complete sentence, place the full stop before the opening bracket and then add a second full stop before the closing bracket.

If the last letter of the contraction (e.g., “Mr”) is the same as the last letter of the whole word (e.g., “Mister”), don’t use a period (full stop). If the last letters are different, use one. (The last letters are the same.)

Put the full stop INSIDE the brackets when the words in brackets make a full sentence. Put the full stop OUTSIDE the brackets when the words in brackets are part of a sentence. Example 1 – Add the sage last to preserve the flavour.

You can write “and” in full stop instead of putting comma or directly would also be good. Originally Answered: Can “But” and “And” be used after a full stop ? No rules of English grammar prohibit starting a sentence with any particular word. So, yes, either of these words can be used after a full stop.

Use brackets inside parentheses to create a double enclosure in the text. Avoid parentheses within parentheses, or nested parentheses. Correct: (We also administered the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI; Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988], but those results are not reported here.)

The exclamation mark at the end of a sentence means that you do not need a full stop. An exclamation mark should only be used when absolutely essential, or when taken from a direct quote. The exclamation mark should be used sparingly in formal and semi-formal writing.

The exclamation mark often marks the end of a sentence, for example: “Watch out!” Similarly, a bare exclamation mark (with nothing before or after) is often established in warning signs….Exclamation mark.