Re: Comma Usage

Subject: Re: Comma Usage
From: "Hiatt, Michel" <MHIATT -dot- INT-MAIL -at- SMTP -dot- INTECOM -dot- COM>
Date: Mon, 8 May 1995 09:26:00 CDT

Text item: Text_1

> Here's another one for the English Experts:

> Which sentence is correct, relative to the comma:

> The Tech Writer was bright, articulate, knowledgeable, and
computer
> literate.
> or
> The Tech Writer was bright, articulate, knowledgeable and computer
> literate.

> Obviously, neither of these is *correct*. Both uses are widely
>accepted. <snip>

>I'm curious why many people omit the last comma!

> -Kelly Burhenne
> burhennk -at- liebert -dot- com
>Columbus, OH

As a former journalist, we were taught to leave the final comma out if it
did not affect the meaning of the sentence and re-arrange the wording if
necessary to avoid confusion. Unnecessary comma's were dropped to save
lead (from the old hot type days) and space in newspapers and magazines.
In my anecdotal experience, the folks who "insist" <grin> on the comma
have usually been English majors or persons with strong English
backgroups while us journalist types have been perfectly comfortable with
no commas.


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