syntactic analysis - list separated by commas with no "and" at the end


Is it possible to have a list of items separated by commas where the last item in the list is not preceded by 'and'?


For example, "the river runs through dense bush, towns, cities, farms, dams, until it exits into the sea."


Or does it need to be "runs through dense bush, towns, cities, farms and dams, until it exits into the sea."



Answer



Is it possible? Certainly: you did it yourself.


Should you? Eh, it's a judgment call. Technically, a list should have an and (or an or) before the last item, but leaving it out give the sentence a breathless, urgent quality that can be what you want in a dramatic narrative. In formal writing, I would never do it.


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