Re: "and" Usage

Subject: Re: "and" Usage
From: "Michael West" <mike -dot- west -at- oz -dot- quest -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2002 16:17:20 +1000



"Madhavan M" asked:

> Could you let me know which of the following is
> correct in terms of "and" usage?
>
> Start Date, Start Time, End Date, and End Time
>
> or
>
> Start Date and Start Time and End Date and End Time



I'm not sure the word "correct" is applicable here. "Correct"
is whatever communicates your meaning accurately to the
intended audience, and we know neither your intended
meaning nor your intended audience.

In standard written English we usually substitute commas
for all conjunctions but the last in a series like that, as in
your first example.

But I can think of a situation in which you might want to write,
"Start Date and Start Time, and End Date and End Time",
referring to two separate pairs of entities. Note the comma
inserted between the pairs.

If you're feeling adventurous, you could submit your query
to alt.usage.english or alt.english.usage and see what
happens. Sometimes you get interesting perspectives on
Old Norse verb inflections, and sometimes you get cookie
recipes.

--
MW






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