DEAR RICHARD: The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is the comma used before the conjunction in a list of three or more items. For example: “I like to eat apples, bananas, and oranges.” I ...

Attorneys deal with laws for a living. Bureaucrats work with regulations. Restaurateurs contend with heat, spice and the irregularity of natural ingredients. I work with words and, occasionally, ...

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Maria Kari is a freelance writer and ...

"It was a typical Friday night at Costco in Corona. Customers, including an off-duty Los Angeles police officer, 32-year-old Kenneth French and his parents, waited in line for food samples." How many ...

Oh sure, there are people who disagree with the serial comma—people who say it is optional or unnecessary. Well, those people are dirty Communists. Stalin never used the serial comma. Castro never ...

As anyone who’s chuckled at this well-worn punctuation joke can attest, commas matter. A comma can even make the difference between a friendly invitation to break bread and cannibalism. But that doesn ...