Question

please help !
When separating items in series, a comma must __________.


a. be placed before the conjunction

b. be placed after the conjunction

c. be placed both before and after the conjunction

d. not be placed before the conjunction

Answer 1

A. be placed before the conjunction
For example, if you have the sentence:
I love dogs, cats, and hamsters.
You CAN put a comma before the conjunction, which is 'and'.
It's not always required, however; it looks more professional (and was the way I was taught).

Answer 2

be placed after the conjunction

Answer 3

It is placed before the conjunction as so to separate the listing of words.
A series is when one lists a number of words together such as:
I like to run, swim, and jog.
I enjoy cheese, bread, and crackers.

The comma is placed before the conjunction. This is commonly known as an 'Oxford Comma'.

'I like to run, swim, and, jog' would be wrong since "and jog" comes as a "set". "And" is not an item you are listing, therefore you do not put a comma after it.