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breezin_chs

06/12/09 11:32 AM

#9289 RE: Rckhnd #9288

location of a comma

Don't laugh. According to a judge, "Hundreds of legal cases are decided by punctuation, or more likely mispunctuation."

... commas and periods always go inside quotation marks. Lawyers mess it up about half the time.

Another problem is the serial comma. Omitting it can be deadly. "Chickens, ducks, and geese" is clear. "Chickens, ducks and geese" allows someone — a lawyer or judge — to assert that "ducks and geese" are a distinct category. Or consider "Smith ordered bacon, eggs and cheese." Did Smith want eggs mixed with cheese? Writing "Smith ordered bacon, eggs, and cheese" clears up the ambiguity.