SAT Reading & Writing: Use commas correctly in a series or list
28+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
In a list of three or more items, separate each item with a comma: "apples, oranges, and pears." The SAT accepts the Oxford comma before "and."
- 2
Do NOT put a comma between the last item and the verb: "The three tools, are...". Wrong. Commas separate list items, not the list from the rest of the sentence.
- 3
Do NOT add a stray comma after "and" or "or" inside the list: "X, Y, and, Z." Wrong.
- 4
When list items contain internal commas, use semicolons to separate the items: "Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Lisbon, Portugal."
- 5
Lists of just two items take no comma: "apples and oranges." Two-item lists do not use series commas.
- ✗ Inserting a comma between the final list item and the verb that follows.
- ✗ Using commas inside list items that already contain commas, instead of upgrading to semicolons.
- ✗ Placing a comma after the conjunction ("and,") instead of before it.
SAT-style practice
Which version uses commas correctly in the list?
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