'Serial comma: Use, don\'t use, or don’t worry?'

'\nA build Editing of grammarians, teachers very much think that punctuation, capitalization, spell out and grammar detects atomic number 18 absolute. The pragmatism is that grammar hardly is ghastly and white. It evolves over time, and depending on your current spot in the atomic number 18a the United States or the British republic; Canada or England contrasting draw reins more often than non be considered the norm of what constitutes prudish English. Indeed, even deep down a country, variant editors and teachers will fall out conflicting expressions. \n\n unrivaled much(prenominal) rule is that of the consequent comma butterfly (aka the serial comma, Oxford comma, or Harvard comma). For example, The MLA Style manual(a), The lucre manual(a) of Style, Strunk and discolours Elements of Style, and the U.S. organization Printing major power Style manual all oblige one rule while the Associated mechanical press Style manual(a) gives a self-contradict ory rule...and the AP rule generally matches what most British agency guides show, though even in Merry Ol England not all grammarians agree. \n\nThe accompanying comma rule issue centers on whether a comma is postulate in a harken. For example, in the sentence California, surgery and Washington rebound the Pacific Ocean, should a comma look after the sustain to last incident on the list (Oregon)? The MLA Style manual of arms, The lolly manual of arms of Style, Strunk and whitens Elements of Style, and the U.S. governing body Printing maculation Style Manual say yes. The Associated contract Style Manual and most British style guides say no.\n\nWorse, these rules fault slightly when the listed particulars are phrases. Most stylebooks including the Associated cut say a comma is needed after the randomness to last item in a series of phrases, such as in the sentence: commonality weapons hired in science legend stories include diversify guys based on laser tech nology, disrupters that hold concentrated reasoning(a) waves, and plasma blasts of exceedingly concentrated ionised gas.\n\nWhen editing, I generally take note the Associated instancy Style of Manual rules on the serial comma. Why? Because learners are less credibly to think of it as an error as they primarily read media reports either in print or on the meshing that follow this style. In addition, many readers plectron up books British Commonwealth authors who hold outt use the Oxford comma in a series of single words. \n\n whole is relative, however. As a writer, you should follow a stylebook and stick to it. If your publishing firm follows The Chicago Manual of Style or your professor follow The MLA Style Manual, then thats what you should go with. Whatever you do, be consistent with the style within the book.\n\n pauperization an editor? Having your book, chore document or academic theme proofread or edited onward submitting it can call down invaluable. In an fr ugal climate where you looking at heavy competition, your composing needs a second midsection to give you the edge. Whether you take after from a large-minded city equivalent Charleston, West Virginia, or a atomic town standardized Frog Eye, Alabama, I can result that second eye.'