The Oxford Comma Debate
For years, the Oxford comma has been a highly debated subject within the writing community. Some love it; others despise it. Let's dive into the who, what, when, where, and why behind the controversial comma.
A serial comma is also known as an Oxford comma or even the Harvard comma. You can find this type of comma placed immediately after a set of three or more things. For example, listing types of animals might be punctuated either as "Cat, dog and bunny" (without the Oxford comma) or "Cat, dog, and bunny" (with the Oxford comma).
The origins of the Oxford comma can be traced back to the printers, readers, and editors at Oxford University Press. Historically, the attribution has been given to Horace Hart, who controlled the Oxford University Press from 1893 to 1915. Hart wrote Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers in 1905 as a style guide that included the comma for the employees working at the press.
So you might be asking, why would someone want to use an Oxford comma? There are many cases where serial commas can help avoid ambiguity and provide a consistent style when listing items.
Let's look at an example where the Oxford comma resolves the ambiguity.
Without: I'd like to thank my parents, Lady Gaga and God. This example sounds like the writer's parents are Lady Gaga and God, which obviously isn't the case.
With: I'd like to thank my parents, Lady Gaga, and God. With the Oxford comma, it is easier to conclude that these people are separate and individual beings.
Looking at the example above, you now might be asking, why wouldn't anyone want to use the Oxford comma if it can help? The main argument against the serial comma is that it is unnecessary and inconsistent with other conventional writing practices worldwide.
Lists can be written in other ways that eliminate ambiguity without the serial comma. For example, you could write: "I'd like to thank God, Lady Gaga and my parents." All you needed was a simple word change, and there wasn't any confusion.
As for inconsistency within writing practices, most American style guides (Chicago, APA, MLA) mandate the use of the comma. However, the Associated Press and The New York Times Style Book advise against it. Worldwide, the serial comma is not used in Canada and Australia and is generally opposed in British style guides.
With this information in hand, it's up to you to conclude if the Oxford comma is lovely and necessary or a straight-up hassle. For the most part, it is up for personal preference, but our editors here at HubPages adore the Oxford comma! We highly recommend using it when making lists to avoid ambiguity, but it isn't a hill we're willing to die on.
There seems to be no end in sight for the comma debate, which leads us to ask, are you a fan of the Oxford comma?
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