12/9/2023 0 Comments General thoughts on oxford comma![]() ![]() I spoke to the director, Jan Sorenson and Tristan Ross.“Jan Sorenson” can only be read as an appositive if it’s surrounded by commas: Is the director’s name Jan Sorenson, or are they two different people? Here, leaving the comma out actually removes the ambiguity. I spoke to the director, Jan Sorenson, and Tristan Ross.This occurs when the first item is singular rather than plural: I spoke to the directors, Jan Sorenson, and Tristan Ross.īut it’s just as easy to find examples where adding the Oxford comma actually makes the list less clear.It’s not clear whether this is a list of three items (“the directors,” “Jan Sorenson,” and “Tristan Ross”) or whether “Jan Sorenson and Tristan Ross” should be read as an appositive-a phrase that tells us who “the directors” are.Īdding the Oxford comma in this case makes it 100% clear that Jan Sorenson and Tristan Ross are not the same people as the directors: I spoke to the directors, Jan Sorenson and Tristan Ross.Lists where items could be misread as appositives Lists where individual items contain conjunctions.Lists where items could be misread as appositives.Supporters of the Oxford comma claim that it clears up confusion in two kinds of lists: Use the best grammar checker available to check your comma placement quickly and easily.įix mistakes for free Does the Oxford comma remove ambiguity? The following section examines it in more detail. The argument about ambiguity is the main point of debate. Most people naturally leave it out in writing, and adding it can make your text look overly stiff and formal. It more closely resembles speech (people tend to pause before saying the last item in a list). It takes up space on the page-mainly important in contexts like newspapers, where space is precious. The main ones are summarized in the table below.Īll other list items are separated by commas, so it’s more consistent to add a comma before the final one too. Various arguments are used for and against the Oxford comma. John and Jane went out for dinner and to see a concert.John, and Jane went out for dinner, and to see a concert.My hobbies include reading, writing, hiking and watching movies.īut no commas are used in lists of only two items:.My hobbies include reading, writing, hiking, and watching movies.My hobbies include reading writing hiking and watching movies.You always need commas between the earlier items in the list, whether or not you add the Oxford comma: ![]() Note that the other commas in the list are not optional. We can go for pizza, curry, burgers, or tacos. Please don’t throw any parties, damage the furniture, or annoy the neighbors while we’re away. The article is concise, informative, and easy to read. This applies whatever those items are (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives, longer phrases) and whether the conjunction used is “and” or “or.” Examples: Oxford commaA wide-ranging author, Johnson wrote poetry, prose fiction, drama, literary criticism and biography, and the famous Dictionary of the English Language. The Oxford comma can be used (or left out) in any list of three or more items.
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