Meryl's Notes Blog

We use the AP Stylebook at InternetVIZ. It’s helpful to have a style preference as some rules are not hard and fast. But there is one rule that drives me crazy and it’s understandable after you read Momma, Don’t Let Your Babies be Tech Writers. I mean, Eat, Shoots and Leaves is an excellent example.

So does the panda bear eat and then he shoots at something before leaving? Of course, not. Well, this doesn’t call for the serial comma as it should have no comma, but you can see how a comma can impact a sentence. Why does the AP Stylebook insist on omitting the last comma in a series? That’s where a company’s style guide can come to play.

Many publishers follow a style guide and then have a separate one where its rules override the style guide. PC Today is one such example. It also follows AP, but has its own for certain rules. If you don’t have a style guide, at least let the last time have a comma, too.