One of my duties in a previous life—a fairly brief one, as it involved full-time employment—was to edit a monthly educational newsletter (Yeah, I know. It explains a lot, doesn’t it? I worked in a library, too). I was editing the writings of a bunch of extremely smart and educated people, and it turned out one sure way to start an argument was to stand up for, or against, the serial comma.

I will just note that this was in the Clinton years, and while one of the tenets of the organization where we worked was that all children can learn, we also knew that excessive reliance on standardized tests simply forces teachers to spend all their time teaching to the test rather than making sure real learning happens, and the idea of shoving yet another unfunded govenment mandate down schools’ throats to do so was as ludicrous as, say, starting a needless and self-destructive war while giving tax breaks to the wealthiest citizens. But I digress.

Anyway, the serial comma. I admit I have backslid over the years and become inconsistent in its use, but after reading this witty piece at The Laughorist, I here and now publicly renew my commitment to the use of the serial comma: now, tomorrow, and forevermore!

Besides, the post quotes Eats, Shoots & Leaves, my favorite book that I’ve never read.