Is it correct to end a sentence listing various things with just “and similar” and nothing more after?
Take the example sentence:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar.
Would this be a correct way of ending that sentence, or do we need to add something more like:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar machines.
The latter sounds more correct to me, but I have no real reason for thinking so. Also, it is a little unfortunate having to sum opp all the examples' commonality in one word, when the purpose of having such a list in the first place is that it is hard finding a succinct common word.
adjectives lists
New contributor
add a comment |
Take the example sentence:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar.
Would this be a correct way of ending that sentence, or do we need to add something more like:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar machines.
The latter sounds more correct to me, but I have no real reason for thinking so. Also, it is a little unfortunate having to sum opp all the examples' commonality in one word, when the purpose of having such a list in the first place is that it is hard finding a succinct common word.
adjectives lists
New contributor
If you use the word includes, it is redundant to list anything other than specific items. In other words, etc., and so on, and more, and and similar are all unnecessary. Only list those things you think are important to list and don't say anything else. Otherwise, don't use the word includes at all; simply say We offer couches, stools, chairs, and similar (furniture). But although that works better, it's still not satisfying. The final phrase doesn't really help anybody to understand what is offered. I don't recommend using it, whether or not your sentence has includes in it.
– Jason Bassford
29 mins ago
Thank you @JasonBassford those are good points, and I might incorporate them later. That said, I have made up my mind that I want to use "and similar", the question is about if I have to add something after it, like "furniture", or if I can just end it with "similar"?
– André Christoffer Andersen
2 mins ago
add a comment |
Take the example sentence:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar.
Would this be a correct way of ending that sentence, or do we need to add something more like:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar machines.
The latter sounds more correct to me, but I have no real reason for thinking so. Also, it is a little unfortunate having to sum opp all the examples' commonality in one word, when the purpose of having such a list in the first place is that it is hard finding a succinct common word.
adjectives lists
New contributor
Take the example sentence:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar.
Would this be a correct way of ending that sentence, or do we need to add something more like:
Our offering includes widgets, gadgets, gizmos, and similar machines.
The latter sounds more correct to me, but I have no real reason for thinking so. Also, it is a little unfortunate having to sum opp all the examples' commonality in one word, when the purpose of having such a list in the first place is that it is hard finding a succinct common word.
adjectives lists
adjectives lists
New contributor
New contributor
edited 6 mins ago
André Christoffer Andersen
New contributor
asked 1 hour ago
André Christoffer AndersenAndré Christoffer Andersen
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New contributor
If you use the word includes, it is redundant to list anything other than specific items. In other words, etc., and so on, and more, and and similar are all unnecessary. Only list those things you think are important to list and don't say anything else. Otherwise, don't use the word includes at all; simply say We offer couches, stools, chairs, and similar (furniture). But although that works better, it's still not satisfying. The final phrase doesn't really help anybody to understand what is offered. I don't recommend using it, whether or not your sentence has includes in it.
– Jason Bassford
29 mins ago
Thank you @JasonBassford those are good points, and I might incorporate them later. That said, I have made up my mind that I want to use "and similar", the question is about if I have to add something after it, like "furniture", or if I can just end it with "similar"?
– André Christoffer Andersen
2 mins ago
add a comment |
If you use the word includes, it is redundant to list anything other than specific items. In other words, etc., and so on, and more, and and similar are all unnecessary. Only list those things you think are important to list and don't say anything else. Otherwise, don't use the word includes at all; simply say We offer couches, stools, chairs, and similar (furniture). But although that works better, it's still not satisfying. The final phrase doesn't really help anybody to understand what is offered. I don't recommend using it, whether or not your sentence has includes in it.
– Jason Bassford
29 mins ago
Thank you @JasonBassford those are good points, and I might incorporate them later. That said, I have made up my mind that I want to use "and similar", the question is about if I have to add something after it, like "furniture", or if I can just end it with "similar"?
– André Christoffer Andersen
2 mins ago
If you use the word includes, it is redundant to list anything other than specific items. In other words, etc., and so on, and more, and and similar are all unnecessary. Only list those things you think are important to list and don't say anything else. Otherwise, don't use the word includes at all; simply say We offer couches, stools, chairs, and similar (furniture). But although that works better, it's still not satisfying. The final phrase doesn't really help anybody to understand what is offered. I don't recommend using it, whether or not your sentence has includes in it.
– Jason Bassford
29 mins ago
If you use the word includes, it is redundant to list anything other than specific items. In other words, etc., and so on, and more, and and similar are all unnecessary. Only list those things you think are important to list and don't say anything else. Otherwise, don't use the word includes at all; simply say We offer couches, stools, chairs, and similar (furniture). But although that works better, it's still not satisfying. The final phrase doesn't really help anybody to understand what is offered. I don't recommend using it, whether or not your sentence has includes in it.
– Jason Bassford
29 mins ago
Thank you @JasonBassford those are good points, and I might incorporate them later. That said, I have made up my mind that I want to use "and similar", the question is about if I have to add something after it, like "furniture", or if I can just end it with "similar"?
– André Christoffer Andersen
2 mins ago
Thank you @JasonBassford those are good points, and I might incorporate them later. That said, I have made up my mind that I want to use "and similar", the question is about if I have to add something after it, like "furniture", or if I can just end it with "similar"?
– André Christoffer Andersen
2 mins ago
add a comment |
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as an old academic I always feel like getting out my red pen when students write in essays "categories of gender such as male and female" (putting aside political correctness, these days) I have deliberately chosen a clear example of why it annoys me: they usually say "such as" when there are no more such categories available. I worry that your question falls into this same class of conceptual problem, that is we are trying to enlarge a field to imply more (even many more) "whatever it is" exists when we really cant think of any. Thus "TAbles and chairs" pretty much finishes that category, you could say.
New contributor
Thank you. I've updated the question to make it easier to see the forest for the trees. The examples of Chair and tables is there just as en example. The intent is to convey examples of a more complicated offering as part of a pitch to a customer. The examples themselves can be convincing in and of them selves, and is not there only to define a category but also to show off our main offering without limiting it. To be honest, I'm really just interested in if it is ok to end the sentence in the word "and similar" without adding something after.
– André Christoffer Andersen
9 mins ago
My own feeling is that 'similar' on its own is casual and conversational.
– Michael Harvey
2 mins ago
add a comment |
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1 Answer
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as an old academic I always feel like getting out my red pen when students write in essays "categories of gender such as male and female" (putting aside political correctness, these days) I have deliberately chosen a clear example of why it annoys me: they usually say "such as" when there are no more such categories available. I worry that your question falls into this same class of conceptual problem, that is we are trying to enlarge a field to imply more (even many more) "whatever it is" exists when we really cant think of any. Thus "TAbles and chairs" pretty much finishes that category, you could say.
New contributor
Thank you. I've updated the question to make it easier to see the forest for the trees. The examples of Chair and tables is there just as en example. The intent is to convey examples of a more complicated offering as part of a pitch to a customer. The examples themselves can be convincing in and of them selves, and is not there only to define a category but also to show off our main offering without limiting it. To be honest, I'm really just interested in if it is ok to end the sentence in the word "and similar" without adding something after.
– André Christoffer Andersen
9 mins ago
My own feeling is that 'similar' on its own is casual and conversational.
– Michael Harvey
2 mins ago
add a comment |
as an old academic I always feel like getting out my red pen when students write in essays "categories of gender such as male and female" (putting aside political correctness, these days) I have deliberately chosen a clear example of why it annoys me: they usually say "such as" when there are no more such categories available. I worry that your question falls into this same class of conceptual problem, that is we are trying to enlarge a field to imply more (even many more) "whatever it is" exists when we really cant think of any. Thus "TAbles and chairs" pretty much finishes that category, you could say.
New contributor
Thank you. I've updated the question to make it easier to see the forest for the trees. The examples of Chair and tables is there just as en example. The intent is to convey examples of a more complicated offering as part of a pitch to a customer. The examples themselves can be convincing in and of them selves, and is not there only to define a category but also to show off our main offering without limiting it. To be honest, I'm really just interested in if it is ok to end the sentence in the word "and similar" without adding something after.
– André Christoffer Andersen
9 mins ago
My own feeling is that 'similar' on its own is casual and conversational.
– Michael Harvey
2 mins ago
add a comment |
as an old academic I always feel like getting out my red pen when students write in essays "categories of gender such as male and female" (putting aside political correctness, these days) I have deliberately chosen a clear example of why it annoys me: they usually say "such as" when there are no more such categories available. I worry that your question falls into this same class of conceptual problem, that is we are trying to enlarge a field to imply more (even many more) "whatever it is" exists when we really cant think of any. Thus "TAbles and chairs" pretty much finishes that category, you could say.
New contributor
as an old academic I always feel like getting out my red pen when students write in essays "categories of gender such as male and female" (putting aside political correctness, these days) I have deliberately chosen a clear example of why it annoys me: they usually say "such as" when there are no more such categories available. I worry that your question falls into this same class of conceptual problem, that is we are trying to enlarge a field to imply more (even many more) "whatever it is" exists when we really cant think of any. Thus "TAbles and chairs" pretty much finishes that category, you could say.
New contributor
New contributor
answered 29 mins ago
ice_mouseice_mouse
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142
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New contributor
Thank you. I've updated the question to make it easier to see the forest for the trees. The examples of Chair and tables is there just as en example. The intent is to convey examples of a more complicated offering as part of a pitch to a customer. The examples themselves can be convincing in and of them selves, and is not there only to define a category but also to show off our main offering without limiting it. To be honest, I'm really just interested in if it is ok to end the sentence in the word "and similar" without adding something after.
– André Christoffer Andersen
9 mins ago
My own feeling is that 'similar' on its own is casual and conversational.
– Michael Harvey
2 mins ago
add a comment |
Thank you. I've updated the question to make it easier to see the forest for the trees. The examples of Chair and tables is there just as en example. The intent is to convey examples of a more complicated offering as part of a pitch to a customer. The examples themselves can be convincing in and of them selves, and is not there only to define a category but also to show off our main offering without limiting it. To be honest, I'm really just interested in if it is ok to end the sentence in the word "and similar" without adding something after.
– André Christoffer Andersen
9 mins ago
My own feeling is that 'similar' on its own is casual and conversational.
– Michael Harvey
2 mins ago
Thank you. I've updated the question to make it easier to see the forest for the trees. The examples of Chair and tables is there just as en example. The intent is to convey examples of a more complicated offering as part of a pitch to a customer. The examples themselves can be convincing in and of them selves, and is not there only to define a category but also to show off our main offering without limiting it. To be honest, I'm really just interested in if it is ok to end the sentence in the word "and similar" without adding something after.
– André Christoffer Andersen
9 mins ago
Thank you. I've updated the question to make it easier to see the forest for the trees. The examples of Chair and tables is there just as en example. The intent is to convey examples of a more complicated offering as part of a pitch to a customer. The examples themselves can be convincing in and of them selves, and is not there only to define a category but also to show off our main offering without limiting it. To be honest, I'm really just interested in if it is ok to end the sentence in the word "and similar" without adding something after.
– André Christoffer Andersen
9 mins ago
My own feeling is that 'similar' on its own is casual and conversational.
– Michael Harvey
2 mins ago
My own feeling is that 'similar' on its own is casual and conversational.
– Michael Harvey
2 mins ago
add a comment |
André Christoffer Andersen is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
André Christoffer Andersen is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
André Christoffer Andersen is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
André Christoffer Andersen is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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If you use the word includes, it is redundant to list anything other than specific items. In other words, etc., and so on, and more, and and similar are all unnecessary. Only list those things you think are important to list and don't say anything else. Otherwise, don't use the word includes at all; simply say We offer couches, stools, chairs, and similar (furniture). But although that works better, it's still not satisfying. The final phrase doesn't really help anybody to understand what is offered. I don't recommend using it, whether or not your sentence has includes in it.
– Jason Bassford
29 mins ago
Thank you @JasonBassford those are good points, and I might incorporate them later. That said, I have made up my mind that I want to use "and similar", the question is about if I have to add something after it, like "furniture", or if I can just end it with "similar"?
– André Christoffer Andersen
2 mins ago