A MOOSE DIES EVERYTIME YOU FORGET THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR AND YOU'RE...

It's National Punctuation Day. I barely got to celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day!
http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/


Go there. Here's a peek at the site!

How punctuation
changes the meaning
of a sentence

Let’s eat, mommy.
Let’s eat mommy.

Don’t use commas, which are not necessary.
Don’t use commas which are not necessary.



Punctuate this paragraph:

That that is is that that is not is not thats it that is.


Why punctuation is important to one’s sex life:
Pre-marital sex: What some people have before marriage.
Extra marital sex: What some people have in a happy marriage.
Extra-marital sex: What people have in a not-so-happy marriage.
If you’re having a lot of #3, you’re probably not having a lot of #2. It all depends where you place the hyphen.

NOW IF YOU'VE GOTTEN THIS FAR -- HERE IS WHERE I GET TO RANT!

I am over (cough) and JUST BARELY (cough, cough) over 40 and I completely and totally remember that you did NOT place a comma before the word AND. But my daughters came home from school INSISTING that you do indeed place a comma before the word AND. So I looked it up and it seems that I AM NOT NUTS. (cough, cough, cough )

This answer from yahoo.com explains it all:

Resolved QuestionShow me another »
Who learned the rule of no comma before the "and" in a list of three or more items?
I've been second guessing myself and have found that after all these years, there is a comma BEFORE the "and" in a list of three or more items. I swear I learned the rule differently (absolutely no comma before the "and") and I don't know why we were taught that. An English friend remembers the same rule (I'm American). Is this generational? We're both in our 30s. What's the deal with that rule? Why does the comma before the "and" look so wrong to me?
2 months ago
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dusty
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

The comma before the "and" looks wrong... BECAUSE IT IS!
HaHa - just kidding. Had to get that out of my system. I feel better now.

I was taught, 'waaaay back when, that the comma takes the place of (in this case) the word "and". So, instead of saying, "Apples and oranges and peaches.", you could say, "Apples, oranges and peaches". You didn't need the final comma because you already had an "and". That makes perfect sense to me. When my husband went back to college a few years ago and took an English course, my hackles went up when I saw the new rule in his grammar handbook. I think it's largely a matter of style - and you know how styles change.

At a grammar and proofing seminar recently, the teacher said that there was a court case where an heir (one of three) got more than he probably should have because of that final missing comma. The money was to be disbursed among Bill, Helen and Paul - that's how it was written. He sued saying that since there was no comma after Helen, it meant half should go to Bill and the other half to Helen and Paul. And he won!

I haven't been able to verify the story, but, just to be on the safe side, if I write up a legal document, I'll include that final comma. Other than that, in my world, there shall be no comma after "and".