Commas in a series
"We need to buy napkins plates and plastic forks."
What is: Put commas after napkins and plates.
"I love pizza but I hate pepperoni."
Put a comma before but.
"Our neighbor Mr. Rogers is very friendly."
Put commas around Mr. Rogers.
"I am going to the store"
Put a period after store.
"Dear Sarah I hope you are doing well."
Put a comma after Sarah.
"The flag is red white and blue."
Put commas after red and white (the comma after white is the Oxford Comma).
"It was raining so we stayed inside."
Put a comma before so.
"My cat a fluffy tabby likes to sleep on the sofa."
Put commas around a fluffy tabby.
"Where did you put the car keys"
Put a question mark after keys.
"The office is located in Orlando Florida."
Put a comma after Orlando.
"The tall dark handsome stranger walked in."
What is: Put commas after tall and dark (these are coordinate adjectives).
"I finished my homework now I can play games."
Put a semicolon (or a period) after homework to avoid a comma splice.
"The movie which I’ve seen five times is still my favorite."
Put commas around which I’ve seen five times.
"Look out for that falling tree"
Put an exclamation point after tree.
"The event is on Saturday June 12 2024."
Put commas after Saturday and 12.
"She likes hiking and biking and swimming."
What is: No commas needed (conjunctions are used between every item).
"She didn't study for the test yet she still got an A."
Put a comma before yet.
"The student who wins the race gets a trophy."
No commas needed (this is an essential clause—it tells us which student).
"I wonder why he didn't call me"
Put a period after me (this is an indirect question).
"Sincerely Yours John Doe."
Put a comma after Yours.
"The menu featured eggs and bacon pancakes and syrup and orange juice."
Put commas after bacon and syrup (to separate the paired items in the list).
"The storm was over the sun began to shine."
Put a semicolon after over (joining two independent clauses without a conjunction).
"Her goal to become a pilot was finally within reach."
Put commas around to become a pilot.
"The meeting starts at 8:00 A.M sharp."
Put a period after A.M. and no extra period at the end (the abbreviation period does double duty).
"Please mail the check to 456 Oak Lane Austin TX 78701."
Put commas after Lane and Austin.