The ‘Comma’ Butterfly
Do you go to the store for “cupcakes, vanilla, and chocolate” or “cupcakes, vanilla and chocolate”? There’s a long-running debate over whether it’s proper to include that last comma in a list. Well, forget proper. The comma makes things clearer, and a recent lawsuit proves that… More at lifehacker.
I disagree.
Categories: Misc
McGST 
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Very good!
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I’m a fan of it. I always use it.
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“This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God” is another good one (via http://mentalfloss.com/article/33637/best-shots-fired-oxford-comma-wars )
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English is ambiguous enough without adding any more. I always add the comma unless I’m inviting very specific strippers 🙂
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How about writing a list like software code: start list with a colon, separate each item with a comma, omit the word ‘and’. <–See what I did there?
"We invited: strippers, jfk, stalin."
"Go to the store for: cupcakes, vanilla, chocolate."
But if you wanted to introduce a choice into the list then the comma becomes shorthand for not making two separate lists; it's either:
"Go to the store for: cupcakes, vanilla or chocolate." Which means do not forget the cupcakes.
"Go to the store for: cupcakes, vanilla, or chocolate." Which means pick one of the three.
"Go to the store for cupcakes, and either vanilla or chocolate." Which means do not forget the cupcakes; also pick one of the two items after the comma.
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Basically what we really need is audible parentheses
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