The serial comma is often a matter of opinion between writers and editors. If you need a quick refresher, it's a comma placed immediately before a coordinating conjunction, such as and, or, or nor. For example: England, France, and Spain. Many style guides favor the use of a serial comma (like the Chicago Manual of Style), but others do not (like the Associated Press Stylebook).
Ah, choices! But there is a time when using one is needed. If the way the sentence is written may cause confusion, then use a serial comma. For example, "I called two friends, Amy and Steve." It's not clear whether the two friends are Amy and Steve or whether Amy and Steve are in addition to the two friends. A serial comma would make that clear: "I called two friends, Amy, and Steve."
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