Furthermore, in the interest of parallelism, keeping the Oxford comma helps balance the pattern and structure of the sentence. Although there is no set rule that requires a comma before the last item in a series, it seems to be a general academic convention to include it. Dan Santow explains this in more detail in his Word Wise blog. Here’s a tip: Commas can be tricky, but they don’t have to trip you up. Ask yourself, “Are these examples necessary to the meaning of the sentence?” If the clause is nonessential, you should place commas before the word “such” and … “running” and “jumping and swimming”, but it is not necessary. Restrictive ⇒Don’t Use a Comma Non-restrictive ⇒ Us… I’ve always been one to over-think word choice in my writing. Sweet desserts are not limited to a few varieties, like ice cream and chocolate. Comma Before Such As. That's up to you. Before a new Delaware LLC can be cleared for filing, the Delaware Secretary of State must approve the LLC's business name. Use a comma before any coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet) that links … The phrase such as requires a comma in front of it only if it’s part of a nonrestrictive clause. I see many different opinions from many different sources. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Nolin Production Credit Ass’n, 672 S.W.2d 66 (Ky. Ct. App. How do you deal with long sentences when it comes to punctuation? I love the semicolon; it is my favorite punctuation mark. Below are several points to keep in mind when naming an LLC, including naming conventions that are considered acceptable but not required, additions that are considered mandatory and inclusions that are prohibited. When the noun preceding the appositive provides sufficient identification on its own, use commas around the appositive. Serial Commas. He has done scientific work in many different fields of science including but not limited to physics, mathematics and biology. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Don’t be confused by the semicolon’s name; think of a semicolon as a hard comma or a soft period, NOT … Site Map 1984), the court held that a list following “including but not limited to” served to limit the scope of the preceding noun phrase: [Appellee’s] description does not merely state that … No punctuation is really necessary but if you wish you may add commas after “including” and “to”. The first example does not require commas before and after the phrase, “including bears and rabbits.” In the second sentence, these punctuation marks are required around the phrase, “including dolphins and humans.” In two nearly identical sentences, why does the punctuation differ? Especially when many activities are listed? Then you rigorously avoid the cumbersome phrasing each time you want to introduce examples. between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or more items.. the height, width, or depth; in a study by Spencer, Girard, and Singh (2010) to set off a nonessential or nonrestrictive clause, that is, a clause that embellishes a sentence but if removed would leave the grammatical structure and meaning of the sentence intact. As with many comma related questions, the answer depends on whether the phrase in question is restrictive or non-restrictive. Dashes would work as well. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. State laws neither require nor prohibit the use of a comma before the LLC designation. Grammar Girl has a wide range of information, including but not limited to grammar, punctuation, word choice, and style. Just one small variety in a sentence can completely alter its meaning, even when all the words remain the same. Dashes would work as well. Subscribe to The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Aardvark is not only a great fisherman but also a great friend.. A great fisherman is a noun phrase and it follows not only, and a great friend is a noun phrase and it follows but also. ( Log Out / The definition of an appositive is a word or word group that defines or further identifies the noun or noun phrase preceding it.. Rule: When an appositive is essential to the meaning of the noun it belongs to, don’t use commas. The best simple solution is to define including as meaning “including but not limited to” in every legal instrument in which the word is used—among the housekeeping provisions. The fact that grammar girl discusses word choice is probably my favorite feature of the site! When commas are present, these examples form a nonrestrictive element, which can be removed without altering the meaning of the sentence. Q. Contact Us. About The Chicago Manual of Style Brittney Ross. The semicolon can be used between two closely related complete sentences; moreover, it can be used between two complete sentences linked with a transitional word such as also, moreover, therefore, etc. A. Sometimes people write sentences like this, in which the parts aren’t parallel, and that can be called out as bad style: No. Account Management, About the University of Chicago Press Terms of Use This is a parenthetical phrase, and parenthetical phrases should be marked off by commas (which is why I would use them here). The rules for using a comma before a conjunction like "and," "or," and "but" are not simple because it depends how the conjunction is being used and what writing convention you're following. Will judges take such a definition seriously? For example, the alphabet includes, but is not limited to, the letters A through E, as well as J, K, and W. "Including but not limited to" is language typically found in contracts. No punctuation is required, but commas after including and to would work just fine; they may be helpful if the phrase introduces a long or complex list. If removing the phrase would change the meaning of the sentence, then it is restrictive and a comma should not be used. The recommended punctuation for ultimate clarity would therefore be the following: “There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping, and swimming.” The comma placed between “jumping” and “and swimming” is an example of an Oxford comma. Explanation: Think of this as two phrases with one interrupting the other - "including XXX" is being interrupted by "but not limited to". Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series comma, Oxford comma, and Harvard comma).This comma precedes the final item in a list or series, before the word and or or.With the exception of newspapers, most publications use the serial comma, because it helps writers avoid ambiguity. Commas with Appositives. The states do not require or mandate the use of a comma between the title of your business and the corporation or LLC designation when naming your business. ( Log Out / In other words, the fields this scientist has worked in include physics, mathematics, biology and a host of other scientific disciplines that we're not going to specify due to space constraints. The examples below demonstrate this trend. Grammar. The new policy applies to everyone, including faculty. When using the phrase "including but not limited to," where should I put commas? Comma placement can be a tricky thing to learn and use properly. The sentenced “There are many activities including but not limited to running jumping and swimming” is long and in need of punctuation as it stands to add clarity to the structure. Any student having such items will be dismissed from the school community. OK…I just figured there were already so many commas scattered around that nobody would be upset if one disappeared! (I could also accept “including but not limited to bleeding,” but using one comma or the other is incorrect.) The Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition text © 2010 by The University of Chicago. The Chicago Manual of Style Online © 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017 by The University of Chicago. In the above example, "he also forgot his phone" makes sense on its own, thus it is an independent clause and must be preceded by a comma. Keep It Parallel. The Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition text © 2017 by The University of Chicago. It could be excluded as well, resulting in the following: “There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping and swimming.” Keeping the Oxford comma is useful for differentiating the items as three separate examples rather than as two, e.g. Many world-renowned athletes, such as Lionel Messi and Michael Phelps,are also among the richest people on Earth. Now take this example: Tom forgot not only his wallet but also his phone. Change ). It means that the things named are part of something larger, and the larger thing may also have other parts. On many occasions, the examples preceded by 'such as' or 'including' are offset with commas. It's one thing to put LLC or Inc, in your name, but is it proper to place a comma before them? Nor should you put a colon there. (The same rule applies to such as.) Subordinating conjunctions include, but are not limited to: after, although, before, unless, as, because, even though, if, since, until, when, while. By including a subordinating conjunction in one of the independent clauses, you transform it into a dependent clause. No punctuation is required, but commas after including and to would work just fine; they may be helpful if the phrase introduces a long or complex list. It just happens to follow "including," but "including" is not the reason for the comma. 2 3 4 ... you can put a comma before and, but not after and. What punctuation is required for “including but not limited to”? Some students make silly excuses, such as “My dog ate my homework.” Privacy Policy The Semicolon. Use a comma before including if the sentence would be complete without the part that follows. The Chicago Manual of Style is a registered trademark of The University of Chicago. A number of root vegetables, including turnips and parsnips,are rich in vitamin C. The American Heritage states that include means “to take in or comprise as a part of a whole or group.” Likewise Merriam-Webster’s emphasizes that “Includesuggests the containment of something as a constituent, component, or subordinate part of a larger whole.” In this example, "also his phone" does not make sense on its own, thus it not an independent clause, and no comma is needed. And like a colon, it signals that what follows it is closely related to what comes before it. ( Log Out / Any items threatening of the public's safety are not permitted on school grounds. Use a comma before “including” and “such as” when followed by a nonrestrictive, nonessential phrase or clause. This is done by including "LLC," "L.L.C.," "Ltd.," or "Limited Liability Company" in your business name. On her vacation, Lisa visited Greece, Spain, and Italy. "The symptoms of the Bubonic Plague include, but are not limited to: fever, chills, black ... you can put a comma before and, but not after and. ( Log Out / Like a comma, it can separate elements in a series. Mammals, including dolphins and humans, are warm-blooded. Claire Caterer writes about using commas for greater effect in her blog, The LetterPress. The Comma Before Inc. or LLC. On the other hand, if removing the phrase does nothing to the meaning of the sentence, and it still makes sense, then the phrase is non-restrictive and a comma should be used. 2. Like a period or colon, it often marks the end of a complete clause (that is, a sentence part that has its own subject and verb). This becomes especially crucial in listing items. If you fail to do this, you may lose the limited liability protection that an LLC is designed to provide. 1. Reputable dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary, tell us that the verb include is not interchangeable with the verbare. Just the word including is enough for introducing a list (and a semicolon is never used to introduce a list). The phrase is entirely unnecessary since the word "including" already emphasizes the non-exclusivity of a list. Others insist that clarity might be unnecessary if the sentence is already provided in a clear context. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I've seen several variations: including, but not limited, to: and including, but not limited … CMOS editors share writing tips, editing ideas, interviews, quizzes, and more! thebluebird11 on November 08, 2012 11:22 am. The recommended punctuation for ultimate clarity would therefore be the following: “There are many activities including, but not limited to, running, jumping, and swimming.” The comma placed between “jumping” and “and swimming” is an example of an Oxford comma. Then, you may join the two clauses with a comma. 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