Add Comma After "official" in "official third-party documentation"?
I'm drafting an internal standard on internal documentation covering third-party products or services in my organization.
Documentation covering third-party products or services SHOULD NOT:
Include specific details or information already covered in official third-party documentation—to avoid plagiarism or the spread of misinformation when official third-party documentation is updated and internal documentation is not
One of my team members submitted an edit to change:
official third-party documentation
To:
official, third-party documentation
I disagreed with him—my argument being that "official" in this context is an adjective and adding a comma would change the meaning.
Should I add a comma after the word "official" in "official third-party documentation"?
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There are two adjectives in this phrase that modify the word documentation: official and third-party. If they are coordinating adjectives, a comma is required. If they are cumulative adjectives, no comma is necessary.
There are two tests to determine if adjectives before a noun are coordinating adjectives:
Can you replace such a comma with the coordinating conjunction "and"?
Can you flip the adjectives without altering the meaning?
In this case, "third-party, official documentation" doesn't work. It suggests that third-party documentation is its own thing, like fire truck or Christmas tree. The adjectives are, then, cumulative adjectives, and no comma is required (see Commas with Adjectives).
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