IXL | Commas with series, dates, and places

Correct the text by inserting or removing commas. There should be a total of six commas. (Note: in this skill, serial commas are not optional.)

The August 22, 2014, open house showcased Newport College's Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese programs.

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question

Correct the text by inserting or removing commas. There should be a total of two commas. (Note: in this skill, serial commas are not optional.)

Mr. Boone ordered surf and turf a baked potato and asparagus at the May, 6 charity dinner.

key idea

Series

Use commas to separate three or more items in a series. The last comma in the list, right before the coordinating conjunction, is called an Oxford comma or serial comma. The serial comma is sometimes considered optional, but most American style guides require it.

Red, white, and blue are the colors of the American flag.

Expressions that consist of pairs of words, such as "thunder and lightning" and "bread and butter," are generally treated as single items.

College costs typically include tuition, room and board, and textbooks.

Dates

In dates with a month, day, and year, use commas to set off the year.

January 1, 2001, was the first day of this century.

Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869.

Places

When the name of a city is used with the name of its state or country, use commas to set off the state or country name.

Chicago, Illinois, is known as the Windy City.

We've just booked our flight to Athens, Greece.

solution

Surf and turf, a baked potato, and asparagus is a series of more than two items. Use commas after every item except the last one.

Mr. Boone ordered surf and turf, a baked potato, and asparagus at the May 6 charity dinner.

No other commas are needed. Remember that there should not be commas in May 6, which is not a date with a month, day, and year.

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LL.2Commas with series, dates, and places

TT.1Commas with a series

TT.2Commas with dates and places

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