In a Business Writing Skills class last week, a participant raised a familiar question about the use of commas with the word and. She said:
I learned the rule that you never use a comma with and. The word and takes the place of the comma.
Forget this wrong-headed so-called rule!
Not using a comma with and is like not using your car’s turn signal when you are in the turn lane. You may think the signal is unnecessary, but it reassures everyone of your intentions.
Here are 10 examples of places in which a comma and the word and belong together:
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Maria wrote to Mom and Dad, and Jeff wrote to Aunt Kathryn in Milwaukee. (compound sentence)
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The meetings take place on Monday, March 19, and Thursday, March 22. (days and dates)
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The cities we are considering for the conference are Bilbao, Spain, and Oporto, Portugal. (cities with countries)
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Why are the dates November 22, 1963, and June 6, 1968, significant in U.S. history? (month-day-year dates)
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When you leave the campsite, don’t leave litter, and recycle everything possible. (avoiding confusion)
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I agree with your remarks, Karina, and will forward them to Mohamed. (direct address)
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"Eating Green," the first chapter, and "Buying Fresh," the third, have both been edited. (restatements)
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I will contact Maya and, of course, Vy. (parenthetical)
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We must reimburse Michael, who brought the food, and Kayla, who purchased the decorations. (nonrestrictive clauses)
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We will cover commas, semicolons, and colons in the next lesson. (optional comma in a series)
If you know people (especially teachers) who believe it is wrong to use a comma with the word and, please forward them the link to this post. And encourage them to use their turn signals.
Lynn