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Re: Items in a Series and Comma Use?

Subject: Re: Items in a Series and Comma Use?
From: Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 11:26:39 -0500

Julie Stickler wrote:

The best argument I heard for including the final comma was a story
told by an instructor I had when I was getting my techical writing
certificate. She frequently would end up with an extra drink when the
menu said that the meal came with "cofee, tea or juice." because she
would point out to the management that the way the menu was punctuated
indicated to her that the meal came with a "coffee" and "tea or juice"
(rather than a single drink).
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I read the sentence as coffee or tea or juice....your choice of one from the three. If she frequently ended up with an extra drink, then the problem was with her and not the sentence.

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Follow-Ups:

References:
Items in a Series and Comma Use?: From: Geoff Hart
Re: Items in a Series and Comma Use?: From: Sankara R
Re: Items in a Series and Comma Use?: From: Julie Stickler

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