Grammar?

I was reading Peter Naulls’ Grammar StrongHelp manual and came across this:

Lists

In a case of a list, it can be done like this:

Red, orange, yellow and green.

Most people don’t put a comma after the second to last item, but it’s a good idea if it aids clarity – especially if one the items also has an “and” in it.

For long lists, an alternative is this:

Red and orange, yellow and blue, green and purple and spotty and stripey.

Where each pair is anded together.

Where each pair is added?

I parse that last one as:

• Something red and orange
• Something yellow and blue
• Something green and purple and spotty and stripey

Shouldn’t it be written as “Red and orange, yellow and blue, green and purple, and spotty and stripey.” (comma after purple) to make it clearer that the tail is two items and not one single item with more attributes?

As for the first list (“Red, orange, yellow and green.”). Three items or four?

As for the first list (“Red, orange, yellow and green.”). Three items or four?

Hence his comment that “most people don’t put a comma after the second to last item, but it’s a good idea if it adds clarity.”

Sometimes the context provides the necessary clarity.

“most people don’t put a comma after the second to last item, but it’s a good idea if it adds clarity.”

Sometimes, as Vince says, you can derive the meaning from the context, but I generally prefer to use the Oxford comma if it adds clarity.

Sometimes the context provides the necessary clarity.

Well, yes, if the previous (unquoted) line is “You can choose one of four colours:”. ;-)

but I generally prefer to use the Oxford comma if it adds clarity.

Ditto. There’s no harm in having the extra comma.

Well, yes, if the previous (unquoted) line is “You can choose one of four colours:”. ;-)

Perhaps I’m tired: that reads as a bit sarcastic to me, but it’s exactly what I meant by context. It may be a somewhat simple example of context, which somehow therefore seems silly, but that’s because it’s only a simple example of a list.

Edit: FTR, I tend to favour the Oxford Comma as well – but I may not be 100% consistent.

It may be a somewhat simple example of context,

This.

It is useful to note that punctuation, in this case, would appear to depend upon the surrounding sentences.