Grammar Geeks Come Hither - Which Punctuation Style is Correct?

College Confidential Community
21

<p>Both are technically correct, but as for the macaroni and cheese thing, thats only a problem in that instance because "macaroni and cheese" may be understood as one item or two.</p>

22

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

23

<p>Both are technically correct, but the first way is more proper. It's kind of a new-fangled trend to leave out the last comma. The first way just seems more natural. But you'll see many newspapers and magazines now leave out the comma, as a way of keeping up with the times.</p>

24

<p>If there is any doubt, check the style sheet adopted by the professor/department in question.</p>

25

<p>Actually, I believe that newspapers started to leave out the last comma during typesetting times. The letter dyes cost money, so they tried to have as few as possible; it took time to put in another dye; and the extra comma took up space. That tradition then continued, but is, I think, a historical artifact.</p>

26

<p>Exactly. British schoolchildren have been taught the second approach probably for generations. It certainly can't be said to be less proper.</p>

27

<p>The first one is correct though. What bugs me is that Frenchies use << for quotation marks instead of ". It looks so freakin' ugly!
i.e. "I like cheese," he said.
<< J'aime le fromage, >> il dit.</p>

28

<p>Check out the Wikipedia article, in post #22 which will tell you more than you ever wanted to know. The general pattern in the U. S.--to which there are exceptions--is that academic presses us the extra comma, journalistic publications usually do without.</p>

29

<p>The first way is taught in school, but either is correct, except when the second causes confusion.</p>

30

<p>
[quote]
The first one is correct though. What bugs me is that Frenchies use << for quotation marks instead of ". It looks so freakin' ugly!
i.e. "I like cheese," he said.
<< J'aime le fromage, >> il dit.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Some books randomly omit the '>>' if it's at the end of a paragraph, which I find really annoying for no particular books. However, what you said also depends on the publisher. French publishers from France always use <</>> but French publishers from Quebec sometimes use regular quotation marks.</p>

31

<p>If neither introduces ambiguity, you can leave out the serial comma -- that's one less 'speed bump' for the reader.</p>