Two quick grammar questions

[hogeun78]

Hello teachers.

I have two quick questions.

1. Which of the followins is correct?
(1) I bought apples, bananas and oranges.
(2) I bought apples, bananas, and oranges.

2. Is the following sentence correct?

I remember all the name of students in the class.

Or should I say
I remember all the name of students in the class.
I remember all the names of students in the class.
I remember all the name of the students in the class.
I remember all the names of the students in the class.

I am very confused. Could anybody please clarify me?
I would really appreciate. Thank you

[jlinger]

The only time you need a comma before the and in a list, is when there might otherwise be confusion. In your case, no comma is required.

A more elaborate list might tend to be confusing, so a final comma helps clarify your meaning:
Yesterday I ate ham and eggs, toast and jam, and beef stew.
You need that final comma to clearly differentiate the three menu items.

It is not necessarily wrong to use a final comma even in a simple list, however. Simply unnecessary.

If you mean all the students' names, then you
remember the names of the students in your class
If you only remember a few of them, you might say that you
remember the names of students in your class, or even
remember names of students in your class.

The last one (without any article) sounds a bit more vague, as if you were almost dreaming, remembering, memories fading in and out as you do. "I remember names of students, falling leaves, a distant bell...."

[MrPedantic]

As a footnote:

1. I bought apples, bananas and oranges.
2. I bought apples, bananas, and oranges.

The second comma in #2 is called an "Oxford comma" or "serial comma". It was the standard punctuation in British English until the second half of the 20th century, and is still preferred by the Oxford University Press and some other publishers. (I believe it is also fairly standard in US publications.)

However, #1 is now more usual in BrE publications and ordinary business English, except in cases where confusion might arise, as J. suggests.

Best wishes,

MrP