I like punctuation, commas, and especially the Oxford comma. I can’t remember where my love for the Oxford comma came from.
This video is dumb because it thinks the Oxford comma doesn’t really matter, and that you’ll only like, or dislike it based on whether you were taught to like it by some grammar authority.
What!? (that should be understood as an interrobang).
Long-term, or even observent, readers will know that I have a soft spot for the Oxford, or serial, comma.
When I’ve been questioned on such usage in the past I’ve simply appealed to the authority of Oxford. But now. It seems. Oxford isn’t so into the Oxford comma, this from a style guide for marketing the university:
“As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’. But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used – especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by ‘and’”
Talk about going off message – the brand guardians of the Oxford comma have lost the plot.
Via Kottke.
A while back I paid homage to the Oxford, or serial, comma. The comma that comes between something and and and when the and is followed by something else in order to add clarity to a list.
For example. I like planes, trains, and automobiles.
That last comma. That’s it. Turns out it’s popular (see the comments on that post).
I’m posting now because I found this graphic – and I think it’s nice.
Nice like an Oxford comma.
Vampire Weekend also wrote a song about everybody’s favourite comma (with a slight language warning).