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I mentioned the Oxford comma recently in a conversation with Stefan. In case you haven’t heard of it, here is the definition, courtesy of Grammarly:
The Oxford (or serial) comma is the final comma in a list of things. For example:
Please bring me a pencil, eraser, and notebook.
The Oxford comma comes right after eraser.
Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. The sentence above written in AP style would look like this:
Please bring me a pencil, eraser and notebook.
Unless you’re writing for a particular publication or drafting an essay for school, whether or not you use the Oxford comma is generally up to you. However, omitting it can sometimes cause some strange misunderstandings.
I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty.
Without the Oxford comma, the sentence above could be interpreted as stating that you love your parents, and your parents are Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty. Here’s the same sentence with the Oxford comma:
I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Humpty Dumpty.
Those who oppose the Oxford comma argue that rephrasing an already unclear sentence can solve the same problems that using the Oxford comma does. For example:
I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty.
could be rewritten as:
I love Lady Gaga, Humpty Dumpty and my parents.
The Oxford Comma Lawsuit
If you think this is all rather esoteric, you may not have heard that the Oxford comma recently cost a dairy company $5 million. As the New York Times reports, Oakhurst Dairy settled an overtime dispute with its drivers that hinged entirely on the lack of an Oxford comma in state law. The dairy company in Portland, Me., agreed to pay $5 million to the drivers.
The relatively small-scale dispute gained international notoriety last year when the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that the missing comma created enough uncertainty to side with the drivers, granting those who love the Oxford comma a chance to run a victory lap across the internet.
The case began in 2014, when three truck drivers sued the dairy for what they said was four years’ worth of overtime pay they had been denied. Maine law requires time-and-a-half pay for each hour worked after 40 hours, but it carved out exemptions for:
The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:
(1) Agricultural produce;
(2) Meat and fish products; and
(3) Perishable foods.
What followed the last comma in the first sentence was the crux of the matter: “packing for shipment or distribution of.” The court ruled that it was not clear whether the law exempted the distribution of the three categories that followed, or if it exempted packing for the shipment or distribution of them.
Had there been a comma after “shipment,” the meaning would have been clear. David G. Webbert, a lawyer who represented the drivers, stated it plainly in an interview in March: “That comma would have sunk our ship.”
Grammar Enthusiasm Turned Onion-y
So heated does the debate get at times, that The Onion recently published a satirical post titled, 4 Copy Editors Killed In Ongoing AP Style, Chicago Manual Gang Violence. As the hilarious article put it:
Law enforcement officials confirmed Friday that four more copy editors were killed this week amid ongoing violence between two rival gangs divided by their loyalties to the The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual Of Style.
“At this time we have reason to believe the killings were gang-related and carried out by adherents of both the AP and Chicago styles, part of a vicious, bloody feud to establish control over the grammar and usage guidelines governing American English,” said FBI spokesman Paul Holstein, showing reporters graffiti tags in which the word “anti-social” had been corrected to read “antisocial.”
“The deadly territory dispute between these two organizations, as well as the notorious MLA Handbook gang, has claimed the lives of more than 63 publishing professionals this year alone.”
Officials also stated that an innocent 35-year-old passerby who found himself caught up in a long-winded dispute over use of the serial, or Oxford, comma had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
So, where do you stand on the Oxford comma debate?
Love this. The examples always make me laugh.
I’m for the Oxford comma. Always have been. Always will be. And now the law is on our side!
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Staci, the law does not state you should use an Oxford comma in all cases, just that in this ONE case it should have been used to make it clear. And I agree. (See my comment below.)
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She’s joking!
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I should say she’s joking about the law, not her belief in the Oxford comma.
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I think she was referring to the court case so yeah, I took it as a firmly tongue-in-cheek comment 🙂
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I think Staci was referring to the court case mentioned in the article; not a grammar law 🙂
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I was joking and didn’t mean to offend you or anyone else.
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Yay for the law 😀
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I’m a Brit, and an ancient one at that. I learned there is no comma before ‘and’ in a list, unless, as the previous examples suggest, there could be confusion.
When my books have been edited, I frequently find the editor has inserted a comma before nearly every ‘and’, not only in lists.
Of course, it’s easier to simply say, ‘Add a comma every time’ rather than think about whether it makes sense, or the sense you want it to make.
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I was taught ‘no comma before and’ too. But now I choose to ignore that, and use one. I also start sentences with ‘But’, and ‘And’, other things I was taught never to do. I’m just a rebel! 🙂 🙂
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Go rebel you 😀
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But it’s called an Oxford comma! Surely it doesn’t get more English than that lol
(BTW, I removed your other comment and left this one)
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Definitely for! I can’t see how using it can make the meaning less clear, whereas not using it absolutely leaves the meaning open to doubt.
I know this pet hate of mine is standard practice for journalism and most literature, but I don’t get why it is considered necessary to use a new left or open quote mark at the start of every new paragraph in a quote? It is nearly always patently obvious that the text is a quote which might consist of more than one paragraph, so why not just have an opener at the beginning, and a closer at the end? If you’ve ever done any coding, you’ll know why this winds me up! I do have other peeves about journalistic conventions, but I won’t bang on about them here! 😉 Cheers, Jon.
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I’m a firm believer in the Oxford comma. Your examples should make anyone want to use them, but some still don’t see the need.
Love the satirical story.
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We’re like two peas in a comma-riddled pod 😀
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I like that Oxfrod comma, and use as many commas as I can get away with, in everything I write. I ‘hear’ what I am writing, so add those commas for ‘natural pauses’ in speech. I no longer care wthether or not I am following the rigid rules taught to me by English teachers in the 1950s. If people can get away with replying ‘LOL’ to a blog comment, I think that ship has sailed. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Lol 😀
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I was waiting for that… 🙂
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Reblogged this on Jeanne Owens, author.
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Love this! Personally, I am for the Oxford comma.
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Yeah, more Oxford comma fans 😀
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Punctuation never was my strong suit in school and it’s no better now. I use Grammerly to check my work and they use the Oxford comma. I’m not going to argue with them being the hack I am at punctuation.
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Yes, Grammarly is a BIG fan of the Oxford comma!
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Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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Opposed. I don’t use them. I think that the Oxford comma was a rule designed to aid people without good writing sense. Just put it in every time whether it aids in meaning or not–that way those who can’t figure it out don’t have to worry. When one is writing a series of similar items, the comma before the and is pointless. Surely, most folks can understand why and see the problem with Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty. If not, then they need to use the Oxford comma and/or take up another profession or hobby.
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I’m curious: you say you don’t use the Oxford comma but admit there are cases when it’s useful. Do you rewrite the sentence in these cases or use it yourself?
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One or the other. If any and all commas before an and must be called an “Oxford comma” then I guess my objection is more strenuous. If I’m just using it where needed, then it’s my choice and not per a rule that makes no more sense than wearing both a belt and suspenders in case one fails.
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Technically speaking, I don’t believe the Oxford comma is a rule; it’s simply the name of that last comma in a list. But Grammarly (and many editors) have made it a rule. Thanks for the clarification!
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Pingback: The Oxford Comma — Nicholas C. Rossis | When Angels Fly
Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don’t. However, after reading this article, I might use it more often. Very interesting article!
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So glad to have inspired you 🙂
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Pingback: The Oxford Comma | Archer's Aim
I only use the Oxford Comma to avoid confusion/misunderstandimg…
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That’s a measured response alright 🙂
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Reblogged this on Kim's Musings.
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from Nicholas Rossis’ blog on a pet peeve topic of mine, The Oxford Comma.
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I’m a hybrid, if that’s possible. No comma before an ‘and’ but use it before an ‘or’.
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You never use it before an “and”? Interesting. That’s the grammar rule in Greek and I find it confusing at times.
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It’s all Greek to me. 🙂
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😀 😀 😀
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Sitting on the fence, mostly. I use Oxford in any sentence where the meaning would be unclear, and the rest of the time I don’t pay attention to it.
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It’s a good technique! The only drawback I see is having to think about it every single time you use a list.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Love me some Oxford Comma, and articles like this 😃
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I can’t understand why I would risk my readers being confused about anything. One keystroke, and the Oxford comma is in place, making the meaning clear, and making reading the line aloud MUCH easier. I would never consider leaving it out, because, so far, I’ve never seen a single time when it would have been made clearer without it. And I’ve seen a WHOLE lotta times when omitting it really messed things up.
Just my personal opinion, of course, but I’ve read a LOT of books in my lifetime, and seen too many times when issues resulted from not using this comma. I always prefer to err on the side of caution myself, especially since it can’t hurt a thing.
Interesting post, Nicholas. I’m with BeetleyPete! 😀
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Well put, Marcia! I think I’ll use that argument when I argue in Oxford comma’s favor in the future 🙂
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We will raise the banner HIGH, Nicholas! (Erm … do we HAVE a banner? We should!) 😀 😀 😀
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It would probably consist of a whole lot of commas 😀
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😂🤣😂
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Sadly, I didn’t even know that little guy had a name! I was taught to use it, and still do. Long live The Oxford Comma!
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I’m with you. Not everyone shares our love for it, though. Weird, right? 🙂
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