Lose vs Loose

[juststeve (imported)]

you shouldn't use a comma before the word and. eg h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers, and biting satire.

it should read h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers

and biting satire.

[Paolo]

Spill chick isn't all than deniable, you no.

[tugon (imported)]

I before e except after c or when sounded like a as in neighbor and weigh. Some of the old rules for spelling work if you know the entire rule.

[tugon (imported)]

you shouldn't use a comma before the word and. eg h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers, and biting satire.

it should read h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers

and biting satire.

Actually it is correct to use a comma before the and. When I am writing a formal paper or resume I always use a comma before the and. I do not for more casual writing. Some points of grammar have fallen out of general use because we tend to be more relaxed. This does not make the older more correct way less valid since fewer are doing it today.

[janekane (imported)]

Spill chick isn't all than deniable, you no.

Watt ewe no and watt eye no may defer.

[tugon (imported)]

Spill chick isn't all than deniable, you no.

My iPhone's autocorrect makes for some interesting messages.

[juststeve (imported)]

re: tugon, i've honestly never seen a comma used that way before! maybe its a generational thing or perhaps its one of those slight differences between US/UK english?

[Slammr (imported)]

re: tugon, i've honestly never seen a comma used that way before! maybe its a generational thing or perhaps its one of those slight differences between US/UK english?

The Elements of Style: by Strunk and White

In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.

Thus write,

red, white, and blue

gold, silver, or copper

He opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents.

In company names, the last comma is usually omitted. Follow the usage of the individual firm.

Little, Brown and Company

[Richard_Less (imported)]

you shouldn't use a comma before the word and. eg h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers, and biting satire.

it should read h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers

and biting satire.

I tend to put a comma before 'and'. My understanding, or perhaps personal logic, is that some things you might list need an 'and' {parshal phrase?} as a single item. For example, some of my favourite musicians are The Prodogy, Offspring, Sonny and Cher, and U2.

If I left out the comma after Cher, it might have read as though Sonny and Cher and U2 are part of the same group. If I had written "... Offspring, U2, and Sonny and Cher." it might look like a typo for those who might not know who Sonny and Cher were.

But maybe that's just me.

[gareth19 (imported)]

you shouldn't use a comma before the word and. eg h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers, and biting satire.

it should read h

e often killed his victims with knives, daggers

and biting satire.

No. You use a comma before each item in a series and before the retained conjunction. The notion that you do not use a comma before the conjunction (especially and) was devised by teachers of remedial writing to teach the uneducated to distinguish between and in a series (Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Perry are hopeless losers) from the conjunction that joins a compound sentence (Mitt Romney will not appeal to religious bigots, and Ron Paul needs to take his thorazine). Competent writers follow the MLA Handbook of Style, Fowler's Modern English Usage, and even Strunk and White's Elements of Style, all of whom recommend the comma before the series conjunction.