Grammarians disagree over whether a comma should be placed before the conjunction in a series (the underlined comma in example 2 below is a “serial comma”). However, confusion can be avoided by adding ...

When combining two complete sentences with a conjunction ("and," "but," "or," "for," or "yet"), precede the conjunction with a comma. Example: Still, the sun is slowly getting brighter and hotter, and ...

Use and between the last two items, instead of a comma. For example: Today I need to buy milk, bread, apples and potatoes. In longer sentences, you can use commas to separate out extra information ...

Example: I grew up in central Kentucky; I am definitely a University of Kentucky basketball fan. Precede transition words like "however" and "therefore" when they combine two complete sentences. These ...

And you don't have to be a grammar professional to have an ... and more for those of you unfamiliar with the Oxford comma rule, including examples for each. Related: What Exactly Is the Difference ...

Most often, commas and periods go within the quotation marks, but there are some forms of punctuation and examples that go outside of the quotation marks. Utilize these tips to make sure that the ...

A few less-common yet well-placed punctuation marks can give your application essay a sophisticated edge. For example, consider adding a semicolon to connect two closely related sentences ...