Why are commas omitted in formal writing?

Members help members on grammar, vocab, pronunciation...

Moderator: EC

Post Reply
User avatar
englishlearn
Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2018 4:34 pm
Status: Learner of English

Why are commas omitted in formal writing?

Post by englishlearn »

For instance, the examples below are missing a comma before the coordinating conjunctions (and,or):

"The court found that no contract
existed between the parties because under an objective
standard, a reasonable person could tell that no offer was
intended and the alleged contract was void because it was
for goods in excess of $ 500.00 and not in writing."



"The parties disagree concerning whether the Court
should apply the law of the state of New York or of some
other state in evaluating whether defendant's promotional
campaign constituted an offer."
User avatar
Josef Essberger
Admin/Teacher
Admin/Teacher
Posts: 1798
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2003 6:56 am
Status: Teacher of English
Location: England

Re: Why are commas omitted in formal writing?

Post by Josef Essberger »

In some jurisdictions commas in legal writing are considered dangerous as they can lead to ambiguity. Millions of dollars have been lost thanks to a judge's particular interpretation of a comma.
English Prepositions List by Josef Essberger
Extremely useful ebook full of examples and visual aids to learn prepositions :ok: Inés Barbero
Post Reply