The Oxford comma did not actually originate at Oxford University in England. One can trace its origin in English guides from the early 20th century. The Oxford comma is “correct” in American Standard English but does not exist in other languages, nor is it mandatory in British or International English.
Is the Oxford comma optional in British English?
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.
How do you use commas in American English?
With few exceptions, a comma should not separate a subject from its verb. My friend Cleo, is a wonderful singer. Writers are often tempted to insert a comma between a subject and verb this way because speakers sometimes pause at that point in a sentence. But in writing, the comma only makes the sentence seem stilted.
Does US Government Printing Office use Oxford comma?
Some big publications and guides, including the Oxford Style Manual (hence the name), the Chicago Manual of Style, The MLA Style Manual, Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, and the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual, mandate use of the Oxford comma, while the Associated Press Stylebook, the New York Times
What countries use the Oxford comma?
“In British practice there’s an Oxford/Cambridge divide … In Canada and Australia the serial comma is recommended only to prevent ambiguity or misreading.” “The so-called ‘Oxford comma’ is an optional comma that follows the penultimate item in a list of three or more items and precedes the word ‘and’ …
What style of punctuation do Americans tend to use?
American English puts commas and periods inside the quotation marks. The UWSC says that American people write it “this way.”
Does the New York Times use the Oxford comma?
It is much more widespread in the United States, although American news organizations tend to leave the second comma out (that includes The New York Times, whose style guide advises that it should not be used unless a sentence is otherwise confusing without it).
How is American English different from British English?
The main difference between British English and American English is in pronunciation. Some words are also different in each variety of English, and there are also a few differences in the way they use grammar.
Do you put a comma before and in American English?
Whether or not you put a comma before and depends on how you’re using and. There’s no single rule that applies to all situations. You usually put a comma before and when it’s connecting two independent clauses. It’s almost always optional to put a comma before and in a list.
What is the difference between British and American punctuation?
Period and comma: In British English, the period and comma are placed outside quotation marks. However, if the punctuation mark is a part of the quote itself, then the quotation mark is placed after the period or comma. In American English, the period and comma are always placed inside quotation marks.
Is the Oxford comma still acceptable?
Contrary to what most students believe, the Oxford comma isn’t grammatically correct. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to use it. Instead, it’s grammatically optional.
Do lawyers like 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.
Who still uses the Oxford comma?
AP Style writing requires the use of the Oxford Comma. Someone who would typically write in AP style is a newspaper reporter. The Oxford Comma is the final comma in a list of three or more things in a sentence, which goes before the “and” or “or” in a sentence.
Is Oxford American or British?
British
Oxford spelling is used by the Oxford University Press (OUP) for British publications, including its Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and its influential British style guide Hart’s Rules, and by other publishers who are “etymology conscious”, according to Merriam-Webster.
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.
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]”.
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.
Which type of English is used in USA?
American English
American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. It is estimated that approximately two thirds of native speakers of English live in the United States. American English is also sometimes called United States English or U.S. English.
Why do Americans use period instead of full stop?
In American English, period is the term for the punctuation mark used to end declarative sentences. In British English, the mark is usually called a full stop. Neither term is right or wrong. They’re just different ways of saying the same thing.
Why do journalists not use the Oxford comma?
The Associated Press Stylebook, the grammar stylebook commonly used by journalists, says not to use the comma UNLESS omitting it can lead to confusion or misinterpretation.
What is the Chicago comma?
The most important is that Chicago “strongly recommends” using a serial (or Oxford) comma for lists of three or more items. This means adding a comma before the final conjunction to prevent ambiguity: No Serial Comma: She invited her parents, the headteacher and the janitor.