If not, it's like being on your hapless invitation list.

And where it's not,like in your ill-fated invite list,changing the order of terms will usually do the job.Journalists also dislike the comma because it takes up precious space and can make text look cluttered.Sometimes, it can even create confusion of its own.For example,if your friend had asked for "Bob,a DJ and a puppy,"you'd probably figure out that they're three separate beings.Puppies are cute,but they don't make great DJs.With the comma,you may think Bob is the DJ,and all you need is him and the puppy.