I wish I could say I remember William Strunk, Jr. I wish I could say I took his English courses while I was a student at Cornell. I wish I had met him at the close of World War I. I wish I could say those things, but I would be lying.
I wish I had studied his publication The Elements of Style when I roamed hallowed halls of higher learning, but then my editor would be out of a job. However, it’s never too late. That’s a quote from…my mother? Anyway, allow me to journey into how my fourth novel, Gray Lace, benefited from Strunkian studies. I did buy Strunk’s tiny blue book many years ago and now, finally, I truly appreciate it.
Elementary Rules of Usage: #1
Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s. Strunk lists exceptions and common errors. This proves he would have understood me. “Trevor’s eyes grew larger as Ross’s temper spit out, “It’s a wise rooster who protects its own hen.” (chapter 5).
Rule #2
In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
“Never once had he been cross, upset, or heaven forbid, violent.”
There’s more. The plan is to announce them as I make mistakes.
Enough!
“Never once had he been cross, upset,
Eleanor Tatum 
Heh, heh … the comma following a series and placed before the final “and” is known as the Oxford comma. I have recently read that the Oxford comma no longer is to be recognized by those that upheld it for so long. It’s like a style sheet…Associated Press; Chicago Manual of Style; American Psychological Association; etc. And going the way of two spaces following a period at the end of a sentence! 🙂