The proper definition of the Oxford comma is “a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before ‘and’ or ‘or’.” For example: “Today I went to lunch with my roommates, Tom, and Molly.”
What’s the difference between an Oxford comma and a regular comma?
What is an Oxford comma? To give the Oxford comma its technical definition, it is a comma used before the final conjunction in a list of three or more items. When you’re writing a list, you naturally include commas to separate each item, but an Oxford comma is when you also put a comma before the “and [Final Item]”.
What is your position on the Oxford comma?
In a sentence with a list of three or more items, the Oxford comma is the comma you place right before the coordinating conjunction and last item in the list. It is also known as a serial comma, a series comma, or a Harvard comma.
How do you activate the Oxford comma?
How do I turn on Microsoft’s Oxford (serial) comma checker?
- Open Word and click “File”.
- Click “Options”.
- Click “Proofing”.
- Next to Grammar and Refinements, click “Settings”.
- Under “Punctuation Conventions” tick the box for Oxford Comma.
Why is the Oxford comma so controversial?
This practice is controversial and is known as the serial comma or Oxford comma, because it is part of the house style of Oxford University Press.” There are cases in which the use of the serial comma can avoid ambiguity, and also instances in which its use can introduce ambiguity.
Why do Americans use Oxford comma?
British and American English both use the Oxford comma like this, but they differ on when it is used: Typically, in British English, we only use an Oxford comma when a list would be unclear without one, such as in the example sentence above. In American English, it is often standard to use an Oxford comma in lists.
When listing 3 things where do the commas go?
Commas should be used when three or more items in a series are listed. A comma should be placed between each of the three items (it is also acceptable to leave out the comma between the second-to-last item and the last item in the series). Items in the series may consist of a word, clause, or phrase.
What is the correct way to use a comma?
Commas (Eight Basic Uses)
- Use a comma to separate independent clauses.
- Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase.
- Use a comma between all items in a series.
- Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses.
- Use a comma to set off appositives.
- Use a comma to indicate direct address.
- Use commas to set off direct quotations.
How do you list more than 3 things in a sentence?
Use commas after each item in a list of three or more items. Nurses monitor a patient’s vital signs including temperature, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and pulse. Use semi-colons after each item in a list if one or more items already includes a comma.
What is the Yale comma?
In compound sentences. A comma is used before “and” when it separates two independent clauses (in the structure called a compound sentence): Yale had grown considerably by 1900, and the Law School had become known in its own right.
Is the Oxford comma still taught?
You may even know the Oxford Comma as the Harvard or Serial Comma. In primary schools today, students are taught how to use the Oxford comma but aren’t familiar with the name. The use of the Oxford Comma is typically taught on the second-grade level.
What are the 4 basic comma rules?
To better understand the use of the comma, begin by learning the following eight basic uses:
- USE A COMMA TO SEPARATE INDEPENDENT CLAUSES.
- USE A COMMA AFTER AN INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE OR PHRASE.
- USE A COMMA BETWEEN ALL ITEMS IN A SERIES.
- USE COMMAS TO SET OFF NONRESTRICTIVE CLAUSES.
- USE A COMMA TO SET OFF APPOSITIVES.
Why don t lawyers use the Oxford comma?
Use of the Oxford comma is mostly a matter of preference and varies by region and profession. Lawyers should use the Oxford comma to help avoid ambiguity. Three ambiguities may arise without this comma: Whether the two final items in a list are one combined element or separate.
Is the Oxford comma pretentious?
Despite its name, the Oxford comma is less likely to be used by Brits. There is a strong argument for taking the time to craft a sentence that is clear without extra punctuation. Some believe that the Oxford comma is a pretentious add-on used to make grammar nerds feel superior.
Where we should not use comma?
Don’t use commas when you are ending a sentence with an exclamation point or question mark.
Why don t British people use the Oxford comma?
Despite being named after a British University, the Oxford comma (the comma used before “and” in lists (e.g., I like wookies, ewoks, and droids)) is not considered standard in UK English because only one style guide (Oxford) recommends it.
Is British English considered proper English?
British English is ‘correct’ where it is spoken, and American or Australian English is correct in those areas of the world. While it might not seem clean and neat to have so many ‘correct’ versions of a language, that’s just the way it is. Of course, all of these versions of English are perfectly interchangeable.
Why do Europeans use comma instead of point?
In the early 1700s, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a German polymath, proposed the dot as the symbol for multiplication. Therefore, most of Europe favored the comma as a decimal separator.
Is it grammatically correct to put a comma before and?
In English, you must put a comma before “and” when it connects two independent clauses. A clause is independent when it could stand on its own as a sentence—it has its own subject and verb. Example: Comma before “and” connecting two independent clauses Jagmeet walks to school, and Rebecca takes the bus.
Do I need a comma in this sentence?
Use a comma when the first word of the sentence is freestanding “yes” or “no.” Use a comma when directly addressing someone or something in a sentence. Use a comma between two adjectives that modify the same noun. Use a comma to offset negation in a sentence.
Do you put a comma before and in a list of 3?
Just remember that you should only put a comma before “and” when joining two independent clauses or in a list of three or more things.