The word ta in Quenya was normally used as a demonstrative “that, there, then”. But it could also be used when listing of items in various ways (PE17/71). As Tolkien described it, ta “could be used before each new item in a series or list; but was mainly used only in such cases as would in English be marked by a pause (with or without ‘and’), that is in careful and precise description or enumeration, normally beginning with the item regarded as the most important”. For example: Olórin ta Aracorno ta Eomer ta Imrahil. This use of ta in lists was a reduction of tá “then”, so would mean something like “Gandalf then Aragorn then Eomer then Imrahil”.

Tolkien went on to say that “if as often in English the equivalent of ‘and’ was omitted, and [ta was] placed only before a final item, this would in Quenya represent a discontinuity, and what followed after ta would be an addition of something overlooked or less important”. For this second use he gave the example sentence: sanome tarne Olórin, Aracorno, Eomer, Imrahil, mi míse, mi telepta yo morna, mi laiqua yo ninque, mi luine, ta Gimli mi lossëa. Here Gimli is an addendum to the list, and the meaning would be something like “there stood Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer [and] Imrahil in grey, in silver and black, in green and white, [and] in blue, and also Gimli in white”.

Finally, Tolkien said that the Quenya equivalent of “etcetera” [= and so forth] was either arta [= “and then”], ta ta [“then then”], or simply ta, but the last two usages were older. For example: tauresse ear aiwi, morcor, rusqui, ta ta [or arta] “in the forest there are birds, bears, foxes, and so forth”.

All of the discussion above is based on a single document from around 1964 (PE17/70-71). However, in demonstrative notes from 1968 Tolkien said tă could be used to mean “so, like that, also”, providing evidence that this usages of ta was not a transient idea (VT49/12). In this 1968 document the example Tolkien gave was ta mára “so good”.