and, but and commas

[Rhabbi]

Consistency is never my strong point, unfortunately--I'll always need an editor. But with the series comma before 'and', I tend to write as I'd read it aloud, for that particular instance.

I suspect one reason people have complimented the "flow" of my writing is that I hear myself reading aloud as I write it. If I put a pause in, a comma goes there. If prosody, rhythm, and flow require it, then a comma is born.

Yes, that was a deliberate example. In my case, though, I almost always insert the optional commas. Not for reasons of consistency, but because the voicing feels rushed without them.

Hi Ruby!

In Word you can actually set the options to check for commas at the end of the list and either always require them, or always reject them. I use this to help me with my consistancy in writing.