Oxford Comma

[elkduds]

Know your chit, or know you're chit (oxford interrogative or demonstrative)

And down the apostrophe rabbit hole we dasn't tumble

 

[BrentD]

I quit using it a few years back once I discovered it was not required. Looks "neater". To be honest, I didn't know what it was called.

It is only required if you want to be precisely understood, instead of looking neater. insert an emoticon frown.

Commas are there for clarity, precision, and being understood. I'm always amazed we manage to communicate all, with what passes for adequate grammar these days (and mine is as bad as anybody's).

 

[kansasdad]

I completely enjoyed reading this book, which is slanted towards Great Britain style English grammar


The wiki page explains the joke that is the origin of the front cover of the book. A comma here and there will certainly change the entire meaning of a sentence.

 

[kansasdad]

Commas matter!!

 

[mtmiller]

I completely enjoyed reading this book, which is slanted towards Great Britain style English grammar

Redirect Notice

 

[kansasdad]

Redirect Notice

@mtmiller I blame my Kenyan primary school introduction to grammar rules.

For my first two terms (somewhat similar to our semesters, but three months on, one month off) I stuck to my American English spellings (color) but finally acquiesced to colour and humour.

 

[manitou1]

It is only required if you want to be precisely understood, instead of looking neater. insert an emoticon frown.

Commas are there for clarity, precision, and being understood. I'm always amazed we manage to communicate all, with what passes for adequate grammar these days (and mine is as bad as anybody's).

I just never saw a reason for a comma before the "and" in a list. To me "gloves, beanie and sweatshirt" reads better than "gloves, beanie, and sweatshirt".

 

[gouch]

Damn you all and your commas! I was just reading another thread when I noticed someone had missed a comma. Normally I might have noticed it, but I would have gone on and enjoyed the post in the spirit it was intended. But no, I found myself fixated on a nonexistent punctuation mark. What a waste of my precious time and fragile intellect. I may never recover.