Grammar Mishaps: The Oxford Comma
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What is the Oxford Comma?
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I think you should only use a semi-colon if the clause to follow is a claridfication, but also is able to stand alone as a separate sentence.
I think for a stronger pause you should be using a dash--double hyphen for most keyboards--or an elispes... don't you think?
Hi Chris,
I tend to follow more strict rules with semi-colons as well. I agree that a semi-colon can be used to link a clarification sentence, but i don't think this is its only purpose. I think it's also acceptable to connect two related thoughts by a semi-colon. I like your thoughts on the dash or double hypen. I don't use this very much in my writing, but I may start now. ;) I enjoy your grammar hubs! Thanks!
I always use the Oxford comma. Consider the following sentence:"Our dinners last week were meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and meat tortillas." "Our dinners last week were meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and meat tortillas."The latter sentence is more confusing because it is not clear whether we had macaroni and cheese or cheese and meat tortillas (although logically it would make more sense for the former to be true, we cannot be certain).Excluding the Oxford comma may also change the meaning of the sentence. I love Wikipedia's example of the Oxford comma."I'd like to thank my parents, George W. Bush, and Sinéad O'Connor."is quite different from"I'd like to thank my parents, George W. Bush and Sinéad O'Connor."In lists of three or more, I picture the punctuation finishing off each item and the conjunction introducing the last item. The Oxford comma fits this definition, so it is the method I prefer.
Thanks for your comments, Jonathon. I prefer not to use the Oxford comma when I'm writing one word list, e.g., she enjoys cooking, traveling and dancing. However, with lists that may be confusing, I always use the comma (like in your example above, "our dinners last week...".) This is definitely a rule that is up for discussion, and I love the banter!! ;)
I think you should think also along how you would read it aloud, where a comma represents a natural pause.
If you read out the sentence used above:
"The man was tall... dark... and handsome" (where "..." is a pause in speech) - it sounds a lot more eloquent than "The man was tall... dark and handsome."
I advocate the use of the Oxford comma. In cases where it might be confusing to use it, I reword the sentence such that it isn't confusing/ambiguous.
BTW, there's a typo in your doc:
"If the comma is suppose to..." should read "If the comma is supposed to..." ;)
Many years ago I learned about an estate matter which used the American rule of commas in a list. An estate was left to three children; "Tom," "Dick" and "Harry." The probate attorney who drew up the will believed that the intent was to give 1/3 of the estate to each of Tom, Dick and Harry. Tom, however, got himself a really good lawyer who argued that the lack of a comma between Dick and Harry meant that Tom would be entitled to half of the estate, and Dick and Harry would then split the remaining half. Tom won the verdict.
I prefer to use the Oxford comma, despite the belief by some that it is redundant. Commas are said to indicate pause; you wouldn't say a man is "tall...(pause)......dark and handsome". You would say he is "tall... (pause).. dark.. (pause).. and handsome.
Joycel's example illustrates this perfectly.
Speaking of redundancy, I see J already beat me to the point!
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StuartJ says:
2 years ago
I was influenced by a famous book on punctuation by Eric Partridge "You Have a Point There", in which he recommended the use of the "serial comma" as I think it is also known.
Those who argue in favour of it often take the line that with it used, there is never any ambiguity, but without it, there often is; and so for the sake of consistency it should always be used.
I have never thought of the comma being used instead of 'and' or 'or', but rather that commas and other punctuation should be used where they improve the clarity of the writing.
But my usage does differ from modern American practice where a much stricter view of the way many stops should be used is taken. I tend, for example, to use a semi-colon where ever I feel that I need a stronger stop than a comma, whereas many Americans feel that they should be used only in accordance with strict rules.
I think where punctuation is concerned there is a lot of variation in the way different writers approach it -- especially more literary type writers.