right/wrong

[jessiwannabe]

I'm out I know everyone is happy I'm going to class to learn how to spell. lol I hope I make an a tonight

[icelandelf]

Gosh, are you taking PoisonIvy with you?

[kathykd2005]

I'm sure she is, because it seems to be her alternate personality.

[LPIDelta]

I want to publicly apologize to Kevin for being a part of the derailment of this thread--but I swear I started out trying to be helpful!

In other news--that sock puppet thing is FUNNY too! I mean, she's not even trying to post any differently. Does she really not see it?? Sad.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by LPIDelta

I want to publicly apologize to Kevin for being a part of the derailment of this thread--but I swear I started out trying to be helpful!

In other news--that sock puppet thing is FUNNY too! I mean, she's not even trying to post any differently. Does she really not see it?? Sad.

She's a high school kid, right? I guess that entitles her to a little slack.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by Kevin

She's a high school kid, right? I guess that entitles her to a little slack.

I actually thought she was a transfer student...

[Drolefille]

Wiki on Serial Commas

There is no consensus among writers or editors on the use of the serial comma. It is nearly standard use in American English, but less common in British English

Arguments for and against

Arguments typically advanced for use of the serial comma by default include:

1. that it better matches the spoken cadence of sentences;[6]
2. that it sometimes reduces ambiguity;[7] and
3. that its use matches practice with other means of separating items in a list (example: when semicolons are used to separate items, a semicolon is consistently included before the last item, even when and or or is present).[8]

Arguments typically advanced for avoidance of the serial comma by default include:

1. that it is against much conventional practice;[9]
2. that it may introduce ambiguity (see examples below); and
3. that it is redundant, since the and or the or serves by itself to mark the logical separation between the final two items.[10]

Many sources, however, are against both automatic use and automatic avoidance of the serial comma, and make recommendations in a more nuanced way (again, see Usage and subsequent sections).

The article also says that many journalism style guides recommend against, possibly for saving space.

The Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk and White's Elements of Style, most authorities on American English and[citation needed] Canadian English and some authorities on British English (for example, Oxford University Press and Fowler's Modern English Usage) recommend the use of the serial comma. Newspaper style guides (such as those published by The New York Times, the Associated Press, The Times newspaper in the United Kingdom, and the Canadian Press) recommend against it, possibly for economy of space.

And finally

The differences of opinion on the use of the serial comma are well characterized by Lynne Truss in her popularized style guide Eats, Shoots & Leaves: "There are people who embrace the Oxford comma, and people who don't, and I'll just say this, never get between these people when drink has been taken."[12]

ETA:They also have better examples of ambiguity in both directions

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

Wiki on Serial Commas


The article also says that many journalism style guides recommend against, possibly for saving space.

And finally


ETA:They also have better examples of ambiguity in both directions

So...you get to do what you prefer...which goes back to why it's my pet peeve...I don't like it but apparently my transcriptionists do!

[lovelyivy84]

When I was a kid I put it in, but when I got to like 6th grade they told us to take it out- so I always do it that way. My current company encourages using it, but won't ding you if you don't, lol.

See this is why I hate grammar- the rules just seem arbitrary.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

So...you get to do what you prefer...which goes back to why it's my pet peeve...I don't like it but apparently my transcriptionists do!

Depends on the rules you follow, and essentially either are correct as long as your job hasn't defined it specifically and you don't cause ambiguity in the process.

[SWTXBelle]

. . .who starts singing "Right or wrong, I'll always looooove you . . . " when I see this thread title??