IXL | Commas with series, dates, and places

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

The New York City Ballet's October 11, 1948, debut featured three pieces: Symphony in C Orpheus and Concerto Barocco.

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question

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

Joseph Pulitzer was born in Makó Hungary, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri where he became a well-known journalist.

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

Makó, Hungary, is the name of a city used with the name of a country, so set off the country with commas.

Joseph Pulitzer was born in Makó, Hungary, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where he became a well-known journalist.

St. Louis, Missouri, is the name of a city used with the name of a state, so set off the state with commas.

Joseph Pulitzer was born in Makó, Hungary, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where he became a well-known journalist.

No other commas are needed.

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LL.2Commas with series, dates, and places

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