comma usage

I agree...the last comma is not needed. Also, it is clear what is meant without the last comma.

Hello,


I think that punctuation is often a matter of style and what the author was thinking.

I can see the case for that comma.

Without the comma, we have a compound predicate:

"The school has been deemed a failure and is scheduled to be closed down."

With the comma, we could parse it as an elliptical compound sentence:

"The school has been deemed a failure, and [it] is [therefore] scheduled to be closed down."

That seems similar to:

"The school has been deemed a failure, so it is scheduled to be closed down."

It shows the reason for its being closed down. It brings out the idea of cause and effect more clearly than just a compound predicate.

The, forgive my intrusion, I disagree although I'm no linguist

What can we do to stimulate more interest in Chns' q

You can use the comma, or not. It is a style choice, not a grammar or punctuation rule. Just be consistent.

We are talking about a serial comma here. In punctuation, a serial comma (also called Oxford comma and Harvard comma) is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually and, or, or nor) in a series of three or more terms.

Opinions among writers and editors differ on whether to use the serial comma. In American English, a majority of style guides prescribe use of the serial comma, including The Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk and White's Elements of Style, and the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual. The Associated Press Stylebook for journalistic writing advises against it. It is used less often in British English, but some British style guides recommend it, including the Oxford University Press's style manual and Fowler's Modern English Usage. Some writers of British English use it only where necessary to avoid ambiguity.

With Oxford/Harvard comma:

I like beer, steaks, girls, and cars
I have washed my face, combed my hair, polished my shoes, and put on my jacket

Without Oxford/Harvard comma:

I like beer, steaks, girls and cars
I have washed my face, combed my hair, polished my shoes and put on my jacket

Sometimes ambiguity is hard to avoid either way, as when "The Times" published an unintentionally humorous review of a Peter Ustinov TV documentary, noting that "highlights of his global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector". This would still be ambiguous if a serial comma were added, as Mandela could then be mistaken for a demigod, although he would be precluded from being a dildo collector.

There aren't three or more terms. though, so it's not a serial comma. The last part following the "and" is not by itself a complete sentence, so does not take a comma. If it had been something like "and it's scheduled to be shut down" it would have been set off by a comma. "A high school" is the subject of both verbal clauses.

1. A high school named after Jonathan M. Levin,
2. a dedicated teacher who was killed by one of his former students,
3. has been deemed a failure,
4. and is scheduled to be shut down.

Those aren't "terms" in the sense your cite uses them, like "beer, steak, and girls".those are non-parallel grammatical constructions. One is the subject of the sentence, the next is a clause that modifies the subject, the third is one predicate phrase, and the fourth is another one. They don't qualify.