A Common Comma Question

Where do I use a comma when listing items in a series?

When three or more items are listed in a series, each item should be separated from the next with a comma. It is especially important to include the comma that precedes the conjunction and the last item in the series; this proper punctuation can prevent ambiguity and confusion in your sentence. For example:

Outside the White House, the streets were filled with flustered politicians, angry protesters and police. 


The above sentence indicates that the police were angry as well as the protestors, which is probably not the writer's intention. A handy Oxford comma, also called a serial comma, would fix this problem in no time, and the sentence would instead read

Outside the White House, the streets were filled with flustered politicians, angry protesters, and police. 

If you have trouble remembering the rule about commas and items in a series, this might help:

Confused by the semicolon?

This site will help clear up any questions you might have about using a semicolon, and it will make you laugh in the process. If you still have questions, pop in to see Keely at the Writing Centre for more help!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

What is the Writing Centre at Concordia?

The Writing Centre is a free service that provides individual writing consultations and group writing presentations with the aim of helping students develop their capacities to plan, structure, write, and edit their academic writing.

Objectives of the Writing Centre 


To assist students with the following:

• Understanding assignments and essay questions
• Developing and clarifying ideas
• Research skills
• Organization, structure, and coherence of writing
• Developing thesis statements and arguments
• Improving grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and addressing common challenges
• Citing sources and avoiding plagiarism
• Proofreading your work
• Collecting writing-related resources such as books, websites, sample papers, and handouts for student reference

The Writing Centre will not provide ideas, edit a student's work, or comment on the accuracy of information, but will instead help students develop the skills to do these things themselves. Staff at the Writing Centre will address whatever challenge you present, be it a tricky essay prompt, questions about research or format, or a case of writer's block. Book an appointment today!