Re: Formatting lists of things



2007-06-22 klockan 18:05 skrev Shaun McCance:
> Actually, in English, whether or not you include the comma
> before "and" (we call it the serial comma) depends on whose
> style guide you adhere to.  If you want to follow Shaun's
> Guide to Perfect English (which I make up as I go along),
> then you always include the serial comma. :)

According to the well known [1] booklet I have in front of me right now, you
should always place a comma as well. "Lemma" 2 states:

  In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma
  after each term except the last. Thus write,

    red, white, and blue
    gold, silver, or copper
    (...)

So, alway place a comma for n >= 3 (see examples above). For n = 2, no comma
is needed, e.g. "yes or no", not "yes, or no".

  mvrgr, Wouter

[1] Strunk, W. and White, E.B. The Elements of Style. Fourth Edition, 2000.
ISBN: 0-205-30902-X (paperback), 0-205-31342-6 (casebound).
-- 
:wq                                                       mail uws xs4all nl
                                                      web http://uwstopia.nl

you asked me to kill your headache :: use a gun             -- sneaker pimps

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