Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This is probably an easy one, but I haven't been able to find the answer as of yet. What's the proper way to punctuate the following sentence?
Which color do you prefer, red, green or blue?
Which color do you prefer; red, green or blue?
Which color do you prefer: red, green or blue?
Or some other way?
I try to use as few commas as possible, but our current style guide requires that "extra" comma for clarity. So now I just put it in all the time. I still have a zero growth policy for commas! I'll cut 'em out wherever I can!
to show that green and blue are separate, not mixed colors.
Why not with "or" because the nature of the word suggests separate things. This OR that.
I still remember the example one of my profs gave. If a will left money to the butler, gardener, and cook then each gets a third.
But if a will left money to a butler, gardener and cook, the sneaky butler says that the gardener and cook are listed as one unit. Therefore they split half, and he gets the other half.
If it's a million dollars, he's increased his take from $333,333 to $500,000. The gardener and cook go from $333,333 each to $250,000 each. It's always the butler who did it.
I still remember the example one of my profs gave. If a will left money to the butler, gardener, and cook then each gets a third.
But if a will left money to a butler, gardener and cook, the sneaky butler says that the gardener and cook are listed as one unit. Therefore they split half, and he gets the other half.
That's my way of thinking too.It's the way we were taught in school a long time ago and it makes the meaning more clear.When people leave the last comma out and the word is "and" I'm always trying to figure out whether the last two items are meant to be one or if each one is part of the list.
I still remember the example one of my profs gave. If a will left money to the butler, gardener, and cook then each gets a third.
But if a will left money to a butler, gardener and cook, the sneaky butler says that the gardener and cook are listed as one unit. Therefore they split half, and he gets the other half.
That's my way of thinking too.It's the way we were taught in school a long time ago and it makes the meaning more clear.When people leave the last comma out and the word is "and" I'm always trying to figure out whether the last two items are meant to be one or if each one is part of the list.
Another classic example is this possibly apocryphal line:
"This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
