How To Use Etc Comma
The 1979 edition of strunk and white s the elements of style insists that etc.
How to use etc comma. As you would the phrase and the rest. If those synonyms make sense you can use etc. Remember et means and. Such english equivalents as and so forth and the like are usually treated the same way. It is traditionally enclosed in commas when it doesn t end a sentence but nowadays the comma that follows etc.
Is appropriate is to substitute and so on or and so forth. Letters packages etc should go here. We won t get into the serial comma issue here when it s in the middle of the sentence it doesn t need to be followed by a comma. When it comes at the end of a list put a comma before it if you use the serial comma and don t if you don t use the serial comma. If it is at the end of the sentence.
Etc and and so forth the abbreviation etc. It is recommended even by those who discourage the use of the oxford comma the comma before the last item in a list. Nevertheless the style that seems to be recommended the most is to always include a comma before etc. In american english etc. Generally in american english if etc is used in the middle of a sentence it is followed by a comma.
Do not use a comma to connect two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction and but or nor etc. Ends in a period even midsentence. To use etc correctly use it in instances where you would say and so forth for example if you are making a list of possible desserts and want to express that there could be more items than the ones you have listed write cakes cupcakes ice cream etc do not use etc more than once and do not use etc to refer to people. And et cetera is redundant. Don t use a comma after etc.
The conjunctive adverb however shows a connection between the two independent clauses. Be followed by a comma. Et cetera literally and others of the same kind is traditionally both preceded and followed by a comma when it is the final item in a series. There s no definitive answer because different style guides recommend different usage.