comma before second 'and' [conjunction]: my skills and knowledge and

[clandry]

Should there be a comma before the underlined and?
The projects offered by the program are an excellent opportunity for me to exercise my skills and knowledge and to acquire new skills and knowledge in an area I am passionate about.

I don't think there should be because the clause after the second and is not an independent clause.

 

[owlman5]

I agree with you, Clandry. You don't need a comma after "and" in that sentence. Your reason for choosing not to use a comma sounds like a good one to me.

 

[lucas-sp]

Your reason for choosing not to use a comma sounds like a good one to me.

I think a better reason would be: in two-item lists, we don't generally use commas. So there is:

X and Y / X, Y, and Z / W, X, Y, and Z

Nothing changes when there's a preposition before the two-item list. So we would have:

for X and Y / for X, Y, and Z
into X and Y / into X, Y, and Z
etc.

 

[AngelEyes]

You're correct, clandry.