原文

In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
三個(gè)或以上的詞通過一個(gè)連詞并列時(shí),除了最后一個(gè)詞外的每個(gè)詞后面都要使用逗號(hào)。

Thus write,
因此要寫成

red, white, and blue
honest, energetic, but headstrong
He opened the letter, read it, and made a note of its contents.

This is also the usage of the Government Printing Office and of the Oxford University Press.
美國政府印刷局和牛津大學(xué)出版社都遵循這一規(guī)則。

In the names of business firms the last comma is omitted, as
商業(yè)機(jī)構(gòu)的名稱中,最后一個(gè)逗號(hào)要省略,例如:

Brown, Shipley and Company

The abbreviation etc., even if only a single term comes before it, is always preceded by a comma.
etc.這個(gè)縮寫前面即使只有一個(gè)詞,etc.后面也要使用逗號(hào)。

注解

A, B, and C 還是 A, B and C?

A, B, and C中,B后面的逗號(hào)有時(shí)被稱為牛津逗號(hào)(Oxford comma),因?yàn)榕=虼髮W(xué)出版社一直以來都遵循“三個(gè)以上并列單詞,要在除最后一個(gè)以外的每個(gè)詞后面加上逗號(hào)”這一原則。

雖然A, B and C這種寫法并不算錯(cuò)(事實(shí)上這種寫法也絕非罕見),但使用牛津逗號(hào)能避免產(chǎn)生下面這種歧義:

Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador

安大略、魁北克、紐芬蘭與拉布拉多是加拿大的三個(gè)省份。如果不適用牛津逗號(hào),對于不熟悉加拿大的人來說,可能會(huì)有這樣的疑問:會(huì)不會(huì)是安大略、魁北克、紐芬蘭、拉布拉多四個(gè)???

如果一直堅(jiān)持使用牛津逗號(hào),讀者就會(huì)明白,Newfoundland and Labrador之間沒有逗號(hào),它們是一個(gè)整體。如果寫成Newfoundland, and Labrador的話才是四個(gè)省。