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Re: Items in a Series and Comma Use?

Subject: Re: Items in a Series and Comma Use?
From: Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 12:16:23 -0500

Michele Davis wrote:

Gosh, I've stayed away from this discussion, but this was too good to pass up. In order for us to KNOW that Langley and Slough weren't the same stop, wouldn't we use a comma after "Langley" and before the "and" to make them two distinct places?


Stuart Burnfield wrote:

**> A train travelling from London Paddington to Slough calls at Action Main
> Line, Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Hanwell, Southall, Hayes and Harlington,
> West Drayton, Iver, Langley and Slough. How many stops does it make?


"...from London Paddington to Slough..." tells the reader that the train starts at London Paddington (station) and ends at the town (or village) of Slough, ergo, you are already told in the beginning of the sentence that Langley and Slough are two distinct places. Putting the comma before the "and" to separate Langley and Slough reminds me of Monty Python's Department of Redundancy Department. Put it in if you want, but it's not really needed.

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Follow-Ups:

References:
RE: Items in a Series and Comma Use?: From: Stuart Burnfield
Re: Items in a Series and Comma Use?: From: Michele Davis

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