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Daithy Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

"And" & serial comma?

Is it incorrect to put a comma before "and" in a list?
  

Top answer

Daithy Is it incorrect to put a comma before "and" in a list? It may be correct. Here's an example from the KJV of the Bible : 12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

— Ozzourti

  • Daithy Is it incorrect to put a comma before "and" in a list?
  • It may be correct.
  • Here's an example from the KJV of the Bible : 12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
  • search=Revelation%2018:12-13&version=KJV
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4 Answers
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DaithyIs it incorrect to put a comma before "and" in a list?
It may be correct. Here's an example from the KJV of the Bible:

12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and
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Haha, very funny and effective. Thanks Emotion: smile
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The repeated use of "and" is probably unnecessary; however, the list with or without "ands" needs commas. I think you would omit the comma if it were just two items connected by and: gold and silver, for example.
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Just to elaborate, if each word on your list is preceded by 'and', then use a comma before the final item:

...and Xyz, and Yxz, and Xzy, and Zxy.

If there's only one 'and' on your list, at the end, then I'd say it's up to you to include or leave out the final comma. Write it the way it would be spoken, depending on whether you would like the last item to seem 'detached' fr
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