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I think it is really stupid. But, I do not stand in the way of a 100 year old company that writes 80% of the nation's news. That would be foolish. |
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I read what I choose to read. Of late, that has included several of David Weber's novels, Game Of Shadows and a biography of Teddy Roosevelt. (The plural of ignoramus is political party. Good "entrail" pun. And Jabbly is right: Don't put a comma before "and" in a list.) |
The Oxford Comma is completely debatable. Some use it, some don't.
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Source: U of NC.edu
5. X,Y, and Z Put commas between items in a list. When giving a short and simple list of things in a sentence, the last comma (right before the conjunction–usually and or or) is optional, but it is never wrong. If the items in the list are longer and more complicated, you should always place a final comma before the conjunction. EITHER: You can buy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in Los Angeles. OR: You can buy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in Los Angeles. BUT ALWAYS: A good student listens to his teachers without yawning, reads once in a while, and writes papers before they are due. So, as stated, commas are optional in a list and it is correct to do either (of course depending on source.) I just think it makes more sense: Verbally "You can buy life...libertyandthepursuitofhappiness in Los Angeles." Why set libertyandthepursuitofhappiness apart from life as if it is a single entity? Just my humble op! |
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Now you see why the comma before "and" is inappropriate. The best writing is conversational, not stilted and formal. Regarding the "one spaces or two after a sentence rule" discussion ... as somebody already noted, using the "justify" command in your word processor makes that particular "rule" superfluous. Any teacher trying to deduct points for it in the PC era is being a bit too picky, obsessing with minor style details while not paying attention to the message itself. |
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An out-and-out KILL signal for a grossly inaccurate story is rarely sent and rarely has to be. I haven't seen any for that reason in over two years; the last KILL orders I have seen were for outdated stories that moved on a previous day which were accidentally resent despite being outdated. AP style is neat, clean and consistent. It's focused more on delievering the message than it is with miscellaneous style points. It's also what many kids are becoming used to; because most website news is AP, the AP's brand of style will be what those kids see more than anything else. Disclaimer: I never worked at the AP, but I have many professional colleagues who do work there. |
Personally, I learned that a comma is optional before and (though I always use one), there is one space after a comma or semicolon, and two spaces after a period.
On the other hand, my fiance does not use a comma before the last item in a list, and only puts one space after a period. We grew up in the same area of Texas. Who decided that we were going to learn two completely different things? And why are both acceptable if one is supposed to be "right" over the other? Although I have had one tiny little conversation about this debate, I really think I've got much bigger things to worry about right now. Just don't tell me the way I'm doing it is wrong, and everything will be fine. |
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