Comma in a Series
The other night my girlfriend was writing a letter of recommendation and asked my opinion about a particular line within the letter. Being my anal retentive self, I noticed that she didn’t use a comma in a series (e.g. Laura is beautiful, brilliant, and a literary genius). My girlfriend claims that the comma after “brilliant” isn’t needed and the insertion of the comma is incorrect. In fact, she calls the use of a comma in a series “old school.”
Many believe the comma in a series is optional or a matter of style. I personally use the comma in a series because both APA and MLA support the use, but I also don’t believe it is incorrect to leave it out. However, if I had to choose which application is correct, I would include the comma in a series simply because the two leading publication manuals support the use. Therefore, my love, it’s incorrect to leave out a comma in a series.
P.S. Don’t blame me. You can call the American Psychological Association at 800.374.2721 or the Modern Language Association at 646.576.5000.
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Your girlfriend is right, it is a matter of style – if her style is being wrong.
My pet peeve is the “two-spaces after a period” thing. While at one point when I was a kid, I was told to do that. But that was in the typewriter era. Word processors add a little extra space after a period these days (and for the last 25 years), so stop doing it.