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Subject:Comma use in a series From:RICHMAN -at- EVMSVMS -dot- BITNET Date:Mon, 23 May 1994 13:26:34 -0400
If my brain is working correctly, I recall being taught that MLA (Modern
Language Association) prefers the use of a comma before the conjunction in
a series.
Likewise, I seem to recall learning that the most frequent abusers of this
"guideline" are our newspaper-writers-editors-journalists for the directed
purpose of saving space. I suppose those commas do add up!
Also, this "guideline" or MLA preference is subscribed to by NASA as indicated
in NASA SP-7084 "Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization: A handbook for
Technical Writers and Editors". Actually, this handbook is positioned near
my computer at all times!!!!
