For most of my career as a writer, I have followed the NYT stylebook with regard to the comma. in particular, I have eschewed the Oxford comma — which insists on adding a comma at the end of a series. For example, I would write: “I ordered chicken, pasta, salad and wine.” Following the Oxford style, it would be: “I ordered chicken, pasta, salad, and wine.”

For years, my editor, an advocate of the Oxford comma, has tried, subtly and unsuccessfully, to get me to change my ways. This article makes me think I should…