The Oxford comma appears just before and or or in a sentence that lists three or more items.
We can buy two pies, one cake, or eight donuts.
The sentence above shows an Oxford comma example: it’s the comma after cake. This punctuation mark is also called the Harvard comma or the serial comma, which makes sense because it separates items in a series.
Continue reading: What Is the Oxford Comma, and When Should You Use It?
When the word however is used to mean “but”, it is functioning as a conjunctive adverb.
To decide how to use commas with however when it is used like this, you need to think about its position in the sentence or clause.
| Start of sentence/clause | Inflation is relatively high. However, other economic signs are positive. |
| Inflation is relatively high; however, other economic signs are positive. | |
| Middle of sentence/clause | Inflation is relatively high. Other economic signs, however, are positive. |
| End of sentence/clause | Inflation is relatively high. Other economic signs are positive, however. |
Continue reading: Comma Before or After However | Explanation & Examples
