Write Right - Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

The commaAll generalisations are dangerous, even this one.Alexandre DumasAlthough the rules for using the comma are really very simple, it isfrequently used wrongly. Forget anything you've ever been told aboutusing a comma "wherever you would pause", or anything of the sort; thiswell-meaning advice is hopelessly misleading. The comma tends to beused either too often or not enough. There are 3 distinct uses for acomma:To separate each item in a list.In his backpack Sgt Jarvis carried his mess tins, a sleepingbag, some dry socks and a copy of Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’.Where there is a danger of ambiguity or doubt (and should bepreceded by a comma).The train will stop at Harrow, Pinner, Watford, and Bushey.Otherwise Watford and Bushey might be interpreted as one station(like Bushey and Oxhey).As a pair to enclose words that can be left out without affecting thegrammatical structure of the sentence.Cpl Davis, a former member of 304 Sqn, was accused of settingfire to the hangar.To separate clauses in a sentence.This brief outlines Britain's defence policy, examines NATO'sstrategy, and considers the problems facing the Alliance.25