| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| SERIES CONSTRUCTIONS |
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| list three or more words, phrases, or clauses of roughly equal weight in syntax. In speech, intonation, and in writing, punctuation (usually a comma) links the several items in the series: They issued us our eating utensils: a tin cup, a mess kit, a spoon, a knife, a fork, and a canteen. Conventionally, the last two items in the series are linked with a coordinating conjunction, usually (but not always) preceded by a comma in written American English. Some American and most British stylebooks permit omission of this comma when the conjunction is there, but it is easier to include both every time. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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