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Ibram , I do not put a space before a full stop when I am writing with a pen . I just do it when I am typing on a machine . As I have already explained , I have never learnt how to type formally . It is still quite a difficult exercise for me . I think because it is difficult , I have gone back in my head to being a little girl learning how to write with a quill . When we learnt , we were told to leave a space before the full stop , to avoid smudging . What I do is a sort of throwback , if you like . I must stop it . Atavistic spaces .
About the comma ; you are right , and wrong at the same time . There is no static rule , for the comma is not a static entity . It can be used as a breathing device , and it can also be used semantically .
When you say 'I like cats and dogs' , you do not need an extra breath , unless you are a serious asthmatic . However , you may need an extra breath after reciting the list of all the animals in Noah's Ark . You would put a comma before the final 'and' in the latter case .
Now , lets talk about cats and dogs in another way . We are talking about semantics i.e. implicit meaning now . We are not talking about lists any more :
'Cats , and dogs , just lurv Pussymunch croquettes !'
The implication in the above sentence is that you may be surprised to know that dogs too love this particular brand of catfood . The comma has helped us to understand the idea our interlocutor wishes to convey .
The comma is all about fine-tuning .
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