The Oxford Comma

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Style guides say the the Oxford comma is optional. It seemed to fall out of favor a number of years ago, and I rarely saw it used. Some editors removed it from texts.

In recent weeks I've spoken to a few folks with PhD's in English and I've polled them. They all say that it's imperative.

I'm going back to using it. Thoughts?

I always use it and get annoyed when I see it not being used when reading something. It seems sloppy and incorrect when it is not used. That is and always has been my stance but obviously there is some degree of acceptable variance.

Big fan of the oxford. It reads differently, more rhythmically.

Generally just too lazy to use

I'm more of a Cambridge Comma type.

Big fan.   And it has consequences.  Important legal decisions have turned on the presence or absence of the Oxford comma in legislation.

I always use it.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young don't use it.  Neil Young is just too damn selfish.

Wouldn't it technically be Nash's comma though?

I guess Neil would probably still take it

what a prick!

Darryl's comma.

I love and use the Oxford comma.


And yes, Nash is missing his comma and would like it back.

I don't have a PhD in English, just a Masters, and I resisted the Oxford comma for the longest time. I've been doing a lot more writing lately though, and it's paid writing that has strict constraints on things like diction and sentence length, and have finally been wooed by the Oxford's charms.

It gives me pause.

 

 

It organizes. 

I like to embed an extra comma, for readers to place at their discretion, in any series.

Sometimes people think it's a typo. 

 

Perfect, aiq.

>>>>Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 

See, this is the problem.   Suppose you had a contract for a show and it reads:  "The proceeds of the concert shall be split evenly between Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young"   Does this mean they split the proceeds four ways, or do Crosby and Stills each get one third of the proceeds while Nash & Young have to split the other third?

2DB21BB9-D7A2-470C-9058-EFFAB2711CB6.jpeg.

I, always, use, the, Oxford, comma,

^^^^^

That is the "Shatner Comma"

Shatner Comma.jpg

Hahaha, haha.

The stripper thing illustrates the only-when-necessary view perfectly.

The British don't understand the comma at all, judging by what I see on a daily basis (my gig is for a big-ass London firm).  Don't take their word for shit.

lifelong>diehard fan

that said, i can also be lazy about it anymore

omg Brian & Ken 

lolololol

 

comma.jpg

 

Mmm. Em dash.

Wife is an English teacher.  Says Oxford comma is far and away the more clear way to separate things in a series 

I love me some EM dash, especially since the style guide I must edit against prohibits the Oxford comma.

 frustrating!