Standard English ConventionsEasy–MediumCommas in a series
Standard English Conventions practice question
The market sells fresh bread ____ locally made cheese.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. bread, seasonal fruit, andCorrect
- B. bread, seasonal fruit and,
- C. bread seasonal fruit, and
- D. bread; seasonal fruit; and
Answer: A. bread, seasonal fruit, and
Three items are listed: fresh bread, seasonal fruit, and locally made cheese. Items in a series are separated by commas, with the last comma coming before the final 'and'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. bread, seasonal fruit and,
- The comma has slipped to after 'and'. In a series the comma sits before the conjunction, separating the items, not after it.
- C. bread seasonal fruit, and
- There's no comma between the first two items, so 'bread seasonal fruit' reads as a single strange item.
- D. bread; seasonal fruit; and
- Semicolons separate items in a series only when the items themselves contain commas. These items are simple, so ordinary commas do the job.
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Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
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