comma after 'etc.'?

I feel that no comma is required after etc.

Greatmilinko8451Normally I get angry at those kids who cheat on tests, quizzes, essays, projects etc., because I feel that when they do so it is out of disregard and neglect of everyone else's hard work and effort, as well as the teacher's trust and intention.

"etcetera" = "and the rest", so you treat it in the same was as saying "and the rest" or "and

This may be another American/British difference, but a comma always comes before etc. in AE.

(See Strunk & White, for example.)

Grammar GeekThis may be another American/British difference, but a comma always comes before etc. in AE.

(See Strunk & White, for example.)

In British English, a comma also comes before etc.

0 Thanks! That's what I thought. 0-

There should be a comma before and after "etc." in midsentence because that word or abbreviation is considered parenthetical, equivalent to "and others," "and so on," "and the like," etc.

In English usage, at least, we have the option to insert a comma before the 'and' in a list without the 'etc.'. As in 'apples, pears, and plums'. This is called the "Oxford comma". Usually it is only inserted to avoid confusion in a compound list: steak and kidney, rhubarb and custard, and cheese and biscuits. The 'etc.' rules seem to follow the Oxford comma usage, which is why the analogy with '

The oxford comma is usually omitted in BrE because a listing comma already represents 'and' or 'or'. 'He likes apples and oranges and grapes' becomes 'He likes apples, oranges and grapes' -- among a few other reasons. 'Etc.' has nothing to do with this. Specifically, as quoted from wikipedia:

"... it is customary—even in British English where the serial comma is typically not used—t

a comma is required after etc. when used in a middel of a sentence to "set it off"

As "etc." always indicates part of a continuing list, a comma is necessary after the last of the items identified, because it is NOT the end of the list. Likewise, should the sentence or sentence segment continue AFTER the use of "etc.", a comma is also required at that point because it represents what could be yet another list of entries.