Linking more than two clauses or word groups

8.188 You can link more than two clauses, words, or word groups using 'and' or 'or'. Usually you use the conjunction only once, putting it between the last two clauses, words, or word groups. After each of the others you put a comma.

Haggarty marched him to the door, literally threw him out and returned.

...courses in accountancy, science, maths or engineering.

Some people also put a comma in front of the conjunction. We do this in this grammar, for the sake of clarity.

Mrs Roberts cooked, cleaned, mended, and went to meetings of the sewing club.

In informal speech, people sometimes put 'and' or 'or' between each pair of clauses, words, or word groups. Occasionally, you do this in writing when you want to emphasize that all the statements you are making are true.

Mrs Barnett has a gate and it's not locked and that's how they get out.

linking adjectives 8.189 There are special rules for linking more than two adjectives.

When you put more than two qualitative adjectives in front of a noun, you have to decide whether the adjectives relate to the same system of classification or to different systems. (This is explained in paragraph 8.171.)

If the classifying adjectives relate to the same system, you put 'and' between the last two adjectives and a comma after each of the others.

...the country's social, economic and political crisis.

If the classifying adjectives relate to different systems of classification, you do not put anything between them.

...a little white wooden house.

When you put more than two adjectives after a link verb, you put 'and' between the last two adjectives and a comma after each of the others.

He was big, dark and morose.

We felt hot, tired and thirsty.

Contents of Chapter 9

page

Contents 1

Editorial team 6

Introduction 6

Note on Examples 10

Guide to the Use of the Grammar 11

Glossary of grammatical terms 13

Cobuild Grammar Chart 21

Contents of Chapter 1 22

1 Referring to people and things 26

Introduction to the noun group 26

Identifying people and things: nouns 28

Things which can be counted: count nouns 29

Things not usually counted: uncount nouns 31

When there is only one of something: singular nouns 33

Referring to more than one thing: plural nouns 34

Referring to groups: collective nouns 36

Referring to people and things by name: proper nouns 37

Nouns which are rarely used alone 38

Sharing the same quality: adjectives as headwords 39

Nouns referring to males or females 40

Referring to activities and processes: '-ing' nouns 41

Specifying more exactly: compound nouns 42

Referring to people and things without naming them: pronouns 44

Referring to people and things: personal pronouns 44

Mentioning possession: possessive pronouns 47

Referring back to the subject: reflexive pronouns 47

Referring to a particular person or thing: demonstrative pronouns 48

Referring to people and things in a general way: indefinite pronouns 49

Showing that two people do the same thing: reciprocal pronouns 51

Joining clauses together: relative pronouns 51

Asking questions: interrogative pronouns 52

Other pronouns 53