It’s a grammar nerd tug-o-war over a tiny little mark, with no end in sight.We use a style to ensure consistency in our phrasing and punctuation, and make it easier for the reader to enjoy the book. So, that’s the comma drama surrounding the Oxford comma. You don’t want an article or blog post to have some sentences with the Oxford comma and others without it. If there’s no rule in place, choose to either use it or not, and stick with your decision. Since there is no agreement about the Oxford comma among the biggest publications and style guides, the general rule is to find out what the publication you’re writing for calls for. Still not sure which side of the debate you stand on? The following image makes another case for why it should be used. While you’re at it, follow whose profile reads, “I am the oxford comma. You can also see what side of the debate celebrities fall by following on Twitter. If you’d like to follow along in the Oxford comma debate, search the Twitter hashtag #OxfordComma. I will fight to support the Oxford comma until I draw my last breath. The following popular (and entertaining) example in support of the Oxford comma has been making the rounds on social media recently: Removing the Oxford comma clarifies that there are three entities being referred to: “I dedicate this book to my father, Burt Reynolds and America.” With the Oxford comma, this example reads that the author’s father is Burt Reynolds. “I dedicate this book to my father, Burt Reynolds, and America.” Without the Oxford comma, this reads that the subject’s parents are the president and the vice president. This is a classic example from the Chicago Manual of Style. “She took a photograph of her parents, the president, and the vice president.” As with any good debate, a case can be made both for and against it. Why the confusion and disagreement? If clarity is the priority, a case can be made that in some instances the Oxford comma clarifies the meaning of a sentence, and in others, it confuses the meaning. Government Printing Office Style Manual, mandate use of the Oxford comma, while the Associated Press Stylebook, the New York Times stylebook, and the Economist style guide advise against it. Some big publications and guides, including the Oxford Style Manual (hence the name), the Chicago Manual of Style, The MLA Style Manual, Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, and the U.S. So what’s all the ruckus about the Oxford comma? Well, grammarians can’t agree on whether it should be used or not. See how that little comma snuck in there before “and Oakland”? That’s the Oxford comma. For most of us, it’s the comma we’ve always been told we could leave out when listing things.įor example, I was taught to write, “Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Oakland.” But Oxford comma users would write that phrase like this: “Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Oakland.” The Oxford comma (sometimes called the serial comma, or Harvard comma) is a comma placed immediately before the coordinating conjunction (usually and, or, or nor) in a series of three or more terms. Who ever thought a comma would be at the heart of an international debate? Certainly not me, but the Oxford comma is proving to be quite a little trouble-maker.
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