The Oxford Comma

[kphoger]

I am 100% in favor of the Oxford comma.
What's your take?

[webny99]

I chose "What's the Oxford comma?", but was disappointed to find that it didn't give me the answer once I submitted my vote.

[formulanone]

I chose "What's the Oxford comma?", but was disappointed to find that it didn't give me the answer once I submitted my vote.

The comma before the use of a conjunction when naming more than two items is the Oxford comma. Some folks leave it off, but that's not my style.

Example: kphoger, webny99, and formulanone have posted in this thread.

You wouldn't use it for something like: Your choices of sandwiches are ham or peanut butter and jelly, because PB&J go together. However, one might re-word that to prevent ambiguity (cue those let's eat an elderly member of the family comments).

[GaryV]

When in Rome ....

When in Oxford, use the Oxford comma.

[1995hoo]

The thing about eating an elderly family member isn't an Oxford comma issue. It's a direct address issue. In direct address, there's supposed to be a comma before the name of the person you're addressing, although a lot of people seem not to know this. Thus, "Hello, kphoger"  would be a correct way to begin an e-mail message, and "Hello kphoger"  would be incorrect. "Hi, Jim" –correct; "Hi Jim" –incorrect. "Thank you, sir" –correct; "Thank you sir" –incorrect.

The "elderly relative"  example comes up as to direct address because it's a way of showing how commas matter. The correct form–"Let's eat, Grandma" –has a very different meaning from the incorrect form "Let's eat Grandma."

The most common "relatives"  example relating to the Oxford or serial comma is a book dedication: "To my parents, Kristen Bell and God."  Did I dedicate the book to four people or to two–that is, did I say that Kristen Bell and God are my parents, or did I dedicate the book to the two of them in addition to my parents? The serial or Oxford comma eliminates the ambiguity: "To my parents, Kristen Bell, and God."

[webny99]

I chose "What's the Oxford comma?", but was disappointed to find that it didn't give me the answer once I submitted my vote.

The comma before the use of a conjunction when naming more than two items is the Oxford comma. Some folks leave it off, but that's not my style.

Example: kphoger, webny99, and formulanone have posted in this thread.

You wouldn't use it for something like: Your choices of sandwiches are ham or peanut butter and jelly, because PB&J go together. However, one might re-word that to prevent ambiguity (cue those let's eat an elderly member of the family comments).

Hopefully you picked up that I was attempting humor, but thank you anyways for the detailed response! 

[Beltway]

I chose "What's the Oxford comma?", but was disappointed to find that it didn't give me the answer once I submitted my vote.

The comma before the use of a conjunction when naming more than two items is the Oxford comma. Some folks leave it off, but that's not my style.
Example: kphoger, webny99, and formulanone have posted in this thread.

I often use that.

I tend to use commas more than many people, to separate phrases; and I like to use the semicolon as well.

Comma = small pause, semicolon = major pause.

[hotdogPi]

I tend to use commas more than many people, to separate phrases; and I like to use the semicolon as well.

Comma = small pause, semicolon = major pause.

Your semicolon use is incorrect. Both sides of a semicolon need to be a complete sentence; removing the word "and" works.

[Mr. Matté]

The only people who care are Merle Haggard's ex wives, Robert Duvall and Kris Kristofferson.

[Beltway]

I tend to use commas more than many people, to separate phrases; and I like to use the semicolon as well.
Comma = small pause, semicolon = major pause.

Your semicolon use is incorrect. Both sides of a semicolon need to be a complete sentence; removing the word "and" works.

Is this correct?

All words in Scripture are God's words, as He specified to each author what to record as Scripture.  This does not mean that everything is to be taken as God's instructions, for example, the Bible records the fact that Judas hanged himself (presumably with a rope), but that does not mean that the Bible gives approval for anyone to hang themselves; quite the contrary.

[jakeroot]

I've always used the Oxford Comma. I believe I was marked down for it when I was younger, but people quickly stopped caring by the time I was in, what, the fourth grade?

IMO, things in a list should always be separated by the same thing. For example, adding a comma before each listed item in a sentence. Adding "and" before the final item is appropriate English, but I don't think substituting the comma for an "and" should be acceptable.

[SSOWorld]

What about the Shatner comma?

[Brandon]

What about the Shatner comma?

What, about, the, Shatner, comma?

[jeffandnicole]

I chose "What's the Oxford comma?", but was disappointed to find that it didn't give me the answer once I submitted my vote.

The comma before the use of a conjunction when naming more than two items is the Oxford comma. Some folks leave it off, but that's not my style.

Example: kphoger, webny99, and formulanone have posted in this thread.

Dammit...now I'm caught up on you talking about yourself in the 3rd person!

[1995hoo]

I've always used the Oxford Comma. I believe I was marked down for it when I was younger, but people quickly stopped caring by the time I was in, what, the fourth grade?

....

I remember my brother got marked down for not using that comma in a book report, but the place where he omitted it was in the book's title–the title as it appeared on the cover omitted the comma and the teacher said he should have included it because it's not optional. I recall our mother told off the teacher for downgrading my brother and then went to the principal about it when the teacher wouldn't cooperate. Our mom didn't normally do that sort of thing, but in this case she was absolutely right and the teacher was out of line. You don't change the book's title!

[mgk920]

Howabout putting apostrophe's into all of your plural's?



Mike

[hbelkins]

I grew up using it, but at some point, the Associated Press Stylebook dropped it, so I quit using it in my work product. Over the past few years, I have started making a conscious attempt to use it again, even though it's contrary to AP style. I had gotten into the habit of not using it, so it's been a bit difficult to start using it again. Something like learning to type on a typewriter where you used two taps of the spacebar between sentences, but you only use one on a computer.

[formulanone]

I chose "What's the Oxford comma?", but was disappointed to find that it didn't give me the answer once I submitted my vote.

The comma before the use of a conjunction when naming more than two items is the Oxford comma. Some folks leave it off, but that's not my style.

Example: kphoger, webny99, and formulanone have posted in this thread.

Dammit...now I'm caught up on you talking about yourself in the 3rd person!

There's a first for everything, but it would have been more difficult to prove the point by being the second poster.

[wanderer2575]

I always use the Oxford comma.  (I also double space between sentences.)

I've mentioned this in other threads, but I'll note it again here:  The lack (?) of an Oxford comma in a Maine labor law featured prominently in a court case to determine whether certain delivery drivers are entitled to overtime pay.

http://loweringthebar.net/2017/03/the-oxford-comma-use-it.html

[KeithE4Phx]

What about the Shatner comma?

KeithE4Phx!  Believes!  The!  Proper!  Term!  Is!  The!  Shatner!  Exclamation!  Point!   

[jakeroot]

I've always used the Oxford Comma. I believe I was marked down for it when I was younger, but people quickly stopped caring by the time I was in, what, the fourth grade?

....

I remember my brother got marked down for not using that comma in a book report, but the place where he omitted it was in the book's title–the title as it appeared on the cover omitted the comma and the teacher said he should have included it because it's not optional. I recall our mother told off the teacher for downgrading my brother and then went to the principal about it when the teacher wouldn't cooperate. Our mom didn't normally do that sort of thing, but in this case she was absolutely right and the teacher was out of line. You don't change the book's title!

Couldn't blame her at all. The way I see it, book titles are proper nouns and shouldn't be subject to re-spellings.

[SSOWorld]

I've always used the Oxford Comma. I believe I was marked down for it when I was younger, but people quickly stopped caring by the time I was in, what, the fourth grade?

....

I remember my brother got marked down for not using that comma in a book report, but the place where he omitted it was in the book's title–the title as it appeared on the cover omitted the comma and the teacher said he should have included it because it's not optional. I recall our mother told off the teacher for downgrading my brother and then went to the principal about it when the teacher wouldn't cooperate. Our mom didn't normally do that sort of thing, but in this case she was absolutely right and the teacher was out of line. You don't change the book's title!

Couldn't blame her at all. The way I see it, book titles are proper nouns and shouldn't be subject to re-spellings.

Perhaps the teacher tried to tell the publisher and is secretly asking for help.

[1995hoo]

I always use the Oxford comma.  (I also double space between sentences.)

I've mentioned this in other threads, but I'll note it again here:  The lack (?) of an Oxford comma in a Maine labor law featured prominently in a court case to determine whether certain delivery drivers are entitled to overtime pay.

http://loweringthebar.net/2017/03/the-oxford-comma-use-it.html

While I favor the use of the serial comma, I think the result in that case was wrong because there was no conjunction before the word "packing."  In other words, if "packing for"  referred to either shipment or distribution, the word "or"  should have appeared before "packing."

The legislature's response was even worse: They rewrote it using semicolons!

[kphoger]

... on a typewriter where you used two taps of the spacebar between sentences, but you only use one on a computer.

Speak for yourself.  I always double-space on a computer after a (full stop) period or colon.

At some point in the last year or two, I have also started using two spaces after semicolons.  I once had a roommate who preferred the way it looked when he used a triple space after a period or colon.

I don't, however, double-space while texting on my phone.  Too much work.

[DaBigE]

... on a typewriter where you used two taps of the spacebar between sentences, but you only use one on a computer.

Speak for yourself.  I always double-space on a computer after a (full stop) period or colon.

At some point in the last year or two, I have also started using two spaces after semicolons.  I once had a roommate who preferred the way it looked when he used a triple space after a period or colon.

I don't, however, double-space while texting on my phone.  Too much work.

I had a college professor who would downgrade you if you submitted a paper with two spaces after a period. (Since it was a digital publishing course, a component of every assignment was to include the electronic file. Word has a couple handy tools to check for this.) That ended my double spacing habit very quickly, since the amount he would deduct grew as the semester went on.

Double spacing (or "the double tap" as my prof called it), was a carryover from typewriter/pre-word processor days. Most modern programs account for sentence spacing in the background based on what kind of punctuation you use. Double tapping just creates extra work for the typist in the long run. I recall the lectures regarding the "rivers" of white space the double tap creates under many text justifications (full justification being one of the worst).