USING COMMAS FOR ITEMS IN A SERIES

Three or more items in a series are separated from one another by commas. These items may be single words, or phrases.

Examples

The elderly woman wandered down the lane, by the pond, and through the wheat field.
                                                prep. phrase          prep. phrase                      prep. phrase

Her favourite foods are ice cream, bacon, and yellow beans.
                                        noun          noun                   noun

TIP :  Some grammarians suggest that the last comma (before the and) is optional.  It may be easier to always put it in, to keep the rule easy to remember.

Click here to take your first SELF-TEST.  Here you will have an opportunity to practice using commas with items in a series before you take your first quiz in this lesson. Remember to look at the top of the self-test screen to see the comments for each answer! When you have finished the self-test, close the self-test  window to return to your lesson.

Go to the next page now for the directions for your first quiz in this lesson.