It’s National Punctuation Day tomorrow. Please contain your excitement. I wrote about it in 2008 and in 2009, apparently skipping it last year. Since one of Professor Stacy Spaulding’s new media ...

A few weeks ago, I mentioned in this space that serial commas, also called Oxford commas, are a matter of style. So either “red, white and blue” or “red, white, and blue” can be correct depending on ...

An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link brendan-c on flickr John ate a slice of pepperoni pizza, and drank a bottle of beer. If that sentence doesn't make you involuntarily scowl, then ...

Here’s an interesting question posed to me recently: Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly? Look for fresh basil at your local grocery store, and, if it isn’t available, tell the ...

Commas had been explained to us based on a rather simple rationale: say the sentence out loud and place a comma wherever you feel the need to take a breath. Of course, there’s much more to it than ...

I have always liked commas, but I seem to be in a shrinking minority. The comma is in retreat, though it is not yet extinct. In text messages and e-mails, commas appear infrequently, and then often by ...

Do your clients and the courts a favor -- when distinguishing items in a list, choose critical clarity, avoid confusion, and include the Oxford comma. If you know appellate judges, you know they are ...