[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by redwitch

Modern-day usage drops the comma before "and," "or," etc. Blame newspapers and attorneys. Newspaper columns need to keep things as brief as possible (the less words, the more ads). Courts today require word counts on briefs. The count is every five characters. So, commas are dropped when possible. BTW -- the newest issue is where to put the quotation marks: "and," or "and", since the comma is not part of the quote. So, it really helps to know the teacher's preference. Mom's choice doesn't count on this one. Sorry.

A good reference book to have around is "Elements of Style." It's used by attorneys, professors, writers.

Spoken, and written, like a person who has spent a goodly amount of time writing for and with lawyers. (Which I know you have.)