Why do People Misuse the Oxford Comma?

UponThisRock
UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
edited November 12 in Chit-Chat
The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma or Harvard comma, and sometimes referred to as the series comma) is the comma used immediately before a coordinating conjunction (usually and or or, and sometimes nor) preceding the final item in a list of three or more items. For example, a list of three countries can be punctuated as either "Portugal, Spain, and France" (with the serial comma) or as "Portugal, Spain and France" (without the serial comma).[1][2][3]

Opinions vary among writers and editors on the usage or avoidance of the serial comma. In American English, the serial comma is standard usage in non-journalistic writing that follows the Chicago Manual of Style.[4] Journalists, however, usually follow the AP Stylebook, which advises against it. It is used less often in British English,[5][6] where it is standard usage to leave it out, with some notable exceptions such as Fowler's Modern English Usage.[7] In many languages (e.g. Danish,[8] French,[9] German,[10] Greek,[11] Italian,[12] Polish,[13] Spanish[14]) the serial comma is not the norm and may even go against punctuation rules. It may be recommended in many cases, however, to avoid ambiguity or to aid prosody.
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Replies

  • Cmh1211
    Cmh1211 Posts: 104
    i see what u did there... lol
  • lisaidem
    lisaidem Posts: 194 Member
    I'm calling you my boyfriend and there is nothing you can do about it. :flowerforyou:
  • KJVBear33
    KJVBear33 Posts: 628
    Because its fun to? :huh:
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    I'm calling you my boyfriend and there is nothing you can do about it. :flowerforyou:

    I'll send you my list of demands
  • lisaidem
    lisaidem Posts: 194 Member
    I'm calling you my boyfriend and there is nothing you can do about it. :flowerforyou:

    I'll send you my list of demands

    And suddenly this is a hostage crisis.
  • xo_morgan
    xo_morgan Posts: 298
    "Gentlemen...Im the answer to your prayers"
  • vsmurrow
    vsmurrow Posts: 145
    Because they're undereducated, confused, and not willing to spend 20 seconds on Wikipedia like yourself, good sir.
  • AlayshaJ
    AlayshaJ Posts: 703 Member
    I was taught this, this, and this. My brain does this, this and this. Even after reading this I still do not know which is right, but I am extremely hungry and can't concentrate.
  • marnijojo
    marnijojo Posts: 235 Member
    The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma or Harvard comma, and sometimes referred to as the series comma) is the comma used immediately before a coordinating conjunction (usually and or or, and sometimes nor) preceding the final item in a list of three or more items. For example, a list of three countries can be punctuated as either "Portugal, Spain, and France" (with the serial comma) or as "Portugal, Spain and France" (without the serial comma).[1][2][3]

    Opinions vary among writers and editors on the usage or avoidance of the serial comma. In American English, the serial comma is standard usage in non-journalistic writing that follows the Chicago Manual of Style.[4] Journalists, however, usually follow the AP Stylebook, which advises against it. It is used less often in British English,[5][6] where it is standard usage to leave it out, with some notable exceptions such as Fowler's Modern English Usage.[7] In many languages (e.g. Danish,[8] French,[9] German,[10] Greek,[11] Italian,[12] Polish,[13] Spanish[14]) the serial comma is not the norm and may even go against punctuation rules. It may be recommended in many cases, however, to avoid ambiguity or to aid prosody.

    **moist**
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma or Harvard comma, and sometimes referred to as the series comma) is the comma used immediately before a coordinating conjunction (usually and or or, and sometimes nor) preceding the final item in a list of three or more items. For example, a list of three countries can be punctuated as either "Portugal, Spain, and France" (with the serial comma) or as "Portugal, Spain and France" (without the serial comma).[1][2][3]

    Opinions vary among writers and editors on the usage or avoidance of the serial comma. In American English, the serial comma is standard usage in non-journalistic writing that follows the Chicago Manual of Style.[4] Journalists, however, usually follow the AP Stylebook, which advises against it. It is used less often in British English,[5][6] where it is standard usage to leave it out, with some notable exceptions such as Fowler's Modern English Usage.[7] In many languages (e.g. Danish,[8] French,[9] German,[10] Greek,[11] Italian,[12] Polish,[13] Spanish[14]) the serial comma is not the norm and may even go against punctuation rules. It may be recommended in many cases, however, to avoid ambiguity or to aid prosody.

    **moist**

    Give me your number, we can talk prepositional phrases.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    :love:

    Grammar Porn!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    jfk.jpg
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    oxford-comma-12414.jpg
  • lisaidem
    lisaidem Posts: 194 Member
    Taso42--

    You should be teaching today's youth, if you aren't already.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,870 Member
    I love the Oxford Comma.
  • SwannySez
    SwannySez Posts: 5,860 Member
    I will await @FakeAPStyleBook's Twitter ruling on this while I continue to avoid it as I do other things Oxfordian out of sheer bloodymindedness.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    ^^^LOL @ both of these.
  • california_peach
    california_peach Posts: 1,809 Member
    jfk.jpg

    But, I prefer stripper Stalin to real Stalin.
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
    I don't that often but I might be guilty of not using it appropriately when writing in Danish or Spanish.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I would comment but I take my punctuation very seriously

    It could start a fight
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    ,
  • lickmybaconcakes
    lickmybaconcakes Posts: 1,063 Member
    It is not neccesary that grammar Nazis thank me.

    http://www.ox.ac.uk/branding_toolkit/writing_and_style_guide/punctuation.html#athe_comma
  • Krizzle4Rizzle
    Krizzle4Rizzle Posts: 2,704 Member
    *raises hand* I abuse the oxford comma, but I have been working on my grammar and spelling.
  • maletac
    maletac Posts: 767 Member
    'Let's eat Grandma!' or, 'Let's eat, Grandma!'

    Punctuation saves lives.

    ???????????????????????????
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    Either way, JFK and Stalin aren't going to show up.
  • CaWaterBug8
    CaWaterBug8 Posts: 1,040 Member
    jfk.jpg

    :love:
  • legmotor
    legmotor Posts: 197 Member
    'Let's eat Grandma!' or, 'Let's eat, Grandma!'

    Punctuation saves lives.

    ???????????????????????????

    ummmm...
  • CountryBoy65
    CountryBoy65 Posts: 908 Member
    The serial comma (also known as the Oxford comma or Harvard comma, and sometimes referred to as the series comma) is the comma used immediately before a coordinating conjunction (usually and or or, and sometimes nor) preceding the final item in a list of three or more items. For example, a list of three countries can be punctuated as either "Portugal, Spain, and France" (with the serial comma) or as "Portugal, Spain and France" (without the serial comma).[1][2][3]

    Opinions vary among writers and editors on the usage or avoidance of the serial comma. In American English, the serial comma is standard usage in non-journalistic writing that follows the Chicago Manual of Style.[4] Journalists, however, usually follow the AP Stylebook, which advises against it. It is used less often in British English,[5][6] where it is standard usage to leave it out, with some notable exceptions such as Fowler's Modern English Usage.[7] In many languages (e.g. Danish,[8] French,[9] German,[10] Greek,[11] Italian,[12] Polish,[13] Spanish[14]) the serial comma is not the norm and may even go against punctuation rules. It may be recommended in many cases, however, to avoid ambiguity or to aid prosody.

    **moist**

    Give me your number, we can talk prepositional phrases.

    Or Dangling Participles....
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    I would comment, but I take my punctuation very seriously.

    It could start a fight.

    Fixed it for you. :flowerforyou:
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    Meh. Puncuation confuses me to no end. I would rather be learning Partial Differential Equations and Atmospheric Dynamics. So I use the "when in doubt use a comma" rule.
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