How to Use Commas with ‘Inc.’

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What's the most correct way to punctuate "Inc." when used in mid-sentence? It's easily one of the most confusing points in business writing. Give it your best shot.

In which of the options below is "Inc." punctuated with a company name in the most correct way?

  1. ABC, Inc. is in Boston.

  2. ABC Inc. is in Boston.

  3. ABC, Inc., is in Boston.

  4. ABC Incorporated is in Boston.

The best option is the second one, "ABC Inc. is in Boston." In the styles for both The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style, commas are no longer used to separate corporate identifiers like "Inc." Option three is not incorrect, but old-fashioned. Option one, however, is incorrect, because if a "before" comma is used to insert extra information, then an "after" comma also has to be used. Here, without that, option one would mean ABC is "Inc.-is-in-Boston" instead of "Inc." It's an extremely common error is business writing.

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