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Please do so irrespective of any rules associated with the variety of English in use. The serial comma (for example the comma before and in "ham, chips, and eggs") is optional; be sensitive to possible ambiguity arising from thoughtless use or thoughtless avoidance, and be consistent within a given article. Avoid comma splices.
Some people use the Oxford comma (also known as the Harvard or serial comma). This is a comma before "and" or "or" at the end of a series, regardless of whether it is needed for clarification purposes. For example: X, Y, and Z (with an Oxford comma) X, Y and Z (without an Oxford comma)
Before a conjunctive adverb that joins two independent clauses, the following comma is incorrect: The ultraviolet (UV) index is high, therefore use sunscreen. Around a conjunctive adverb that joins two independent clauses, the following semicolon and comma are correct: The weather is perfect now; however, a seabreeze can whip up a storm.
If a non-quoted but otherwise identical construction would work grammatically without a comma, using a comma before a quotation embedded within a sentence is optional: The report stated "There was a 45% reduction in transmission rate." (Cf. the non-quotation The report stated there was a 45% reduction in transmission rate.)
In English, a comma is used to separate a dependent clause from the independent clause if the dependent clause comes first: After I fed the cat, I brushed my clothes. (Compare this with I brushed my clothes after I fed the cat.) A relative clause takes commas if it is non-restrictive, as in I cut down all the trees, which were over six feet tall.
English adjectives, as with other word classes, cannot in general be identified as such by their form, [24] although many of them are formed from nouns or other words by the addition of a suffix, such as -al (habitual), -ful (blissful), -ic (atomic), -ish (impish, youngish), -ous (hazardous), etc.; or from other adjectives using a prefix ...
As some examples, the NYT Manual: Uses ' s for possessives even for a word/name ending in s; Gives rationales for many practices for which AP simply states a rule; Is strictly alphabetical and thus self-indexed, while AP has separate sections for sports and weather entries, and combines many entries under such terms as "weapons"
Hyphens are used within words or to join words, but not in punctuating the parts of a sentence. Use an en dash (–) with before and a space after; or use an em dash (—) without spaces. See Wikipedia:How to make dashes. Avoid using two hyphens (--) to make a dash; and avoid using a hyphen for a minus sign. read more ...