Serial comma

Last updated

In English-language punctuation, the serial comma, also referred to as the series comma, Oxford comma, or Harvard comma, [1] [2] is a comma placed immediately after the penultimate term and before the coordinating conjunction (and or or) in a series of three or more terms. [3] [4] [5] For instance, a list of three countries might be punctuated without the serial comma as "France, Italy and Spain" or with the serial comma as "France, Italy, and Spain". The serial comma can serve to avoid ambiguity in specific contexts, though its employment may also generate ambiguity under certain circumstances. [6]

Contents

Usage of the serial comma varies among writers and editors and also varies among the regional varieties of English. British English allows both the inclusion and omission of this comma, [7] whereas in American English the comma is common and even considered mandatory by several style guides, with the APA style, [8] The Chicago Manual of Style , Garner's Modern American Usage , [9] Strunk and White's The Elements of Style , [10] and the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual [11] either recommending or requiring it. In contrast, the Associated Press Stylebook and The New York Times Style Book [12] advise against its use. The Canadian Press stylebook in Canada similarly recommends against its employment. The majority of British style guides do not mandate its use, with The Economist Style Guide noting that most British writers use it solely to avert ambiguity. [13] Notably, The Oxford Style Manual advocates it (hence the name, "Oxford comma"). [14] However, the University of Oxford Style Guide (2014 edition) recommends against indiscriminate use. [15]

The Oxford Companion to the English Language notes: "Usage varies as to the inclusion of a comma before and in the last item. ... 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." [16]

History

The comma itself is widely attributed to Aldus Manutius, a 15th-century Italian printer who used a mark—now recognized as a comma—to separate words. [17] Etymologically, the word comma, which became widely used to describe Manutius's mark, comes from the Greek κόμμαlit. 'to cut off'. [18] The Oxford comma has been used for centuries in a variety of languages, though not necessarily in a uniform or regulated manner. [19]

The Oxford comma is most often attributed to Horace Hart, the printer and controller of the Oxford University Press from 1893 to 1915. Hart wrote the eponymous Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers in 1905 as a style guide for the employees working at the press. [20] The guide called for the use of the serial comma, [21] but the punctuation mark had no distinct name until 1978, when Peter Sutcliffe referred to the Oxford comma as such in his historical account of the Oxford University Press. [22]

Sutcliffe, however, attributed the Oxford comma not to Horace Hart but to F. Howard Collins, [22] who mentioned it in his 1905 book, Author & Printer: A Guide for Authors, Editors, Printers, Correctors of the Press, Compositors, and Typists. [23]

Arguments for and against

Common arguments for consistent use of the serial comma:

  1. Use of the comma is consistent with the conventional practice of the region. [24]
  2. It can resolve ambiguity (see examples below). [25] [26] [27]
  3. Its use is consistent with other means of separating items in a list (for example, when semicolons are used to separate items, one is always included before the last item). [28]

Common arguments against consistent use of the serial comma:

  1. Omission of the comma is consistent with the conventional practice of the region. [29]
  2. It can introduce ambiguity (see examples below).
  3. When space is at a premium, the comma adds redundancy and unnecessary bulk to the text.

Many sources are against both systematic use and systematic avoidance of the serial comma, making recommendations in a more nuanced way (see Recommendations by style guides and subsequent sections).

Ambiguity

Omitting the serial comma may create ambiguity. Writers who normally avoid the serial comma often use one when it avoids ambiguity. Consider this apocryphal book dedication: [30]

To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.

There is ambiguity about the writer's parentage because "Ayn Rand and God" can be read as a renaming of [31] my parents, leading the reader to believe that the writer claims that Ayn Rand and God are the parents. A comma before and removes the ambiguity:

To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.

Nevertheless, lists can also be written in other ways that eliminate the ambiguity without introducing the serial comma, such as by changing the word order or by using other punctuation, or none, to introduce or delimit them (though the emphasis may thereby be changed):

To God, Ayn Rand and my parents.

An example collected by Nielsen Hayden was found in a newspaper account of a documentary about Merle Haggard:

Among those interviewed were his two ex-wives, Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall. [32]

A serial comma following "Kris Kristofferson" would help prevent this being understood as Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall being the ex-wives in question.

Another example:

My usual breakfast is coffee, bacon and eggs and toast.

It is unclear whether the eggs are being grouped with the bacon or the toast. Adding a serial comma removes this ambiguity:

My usual breakfast is coffee, bacon and eggs, and toast.

In some circumstances, using the serial comma can create ambiguity. If the book dedication above is changed to

To my mother, Ayn Rand, and God.

the serial comma after Ayn Rand creates ambiguity about the writer's mother because it uses punctuation identical to that used for an appositive phrase, leaving it unclear whether this is a list of three entities (1, my mother; 2, Ayn Rand; and 3, God) or of only two entities (1, my mother, who is Ayn Rand; and 2, God). [6]

Or consider

They went to Oregon with Betty, a maid, and a cook.

This is ambiguous because it is unclear whether "a maid" is an appositive renaming of Betty or the second in a list of three people. On the other hand, removing the final comma:

They went to Oregon with Betty, a maid and a cook.

leaves the possibility that Betty is both a maid and a cook (with "a maid and a cook" read as an appositive phrase [33] ). So in this case neither the serial-comma style nor the no-serial-comma style resolves the ambiguity. A writer who intends a list of three distinct people (Betty, maid, cook) may create an ambiguous sentence, regardless of whether the serial comma is adopted. Furthermore, if the reader is unaware of which convention is being used, both styles can be ambiguous in cases such as this.

These forms (among others) would remove the ambiguity:

In general

Ambiguities can often be resolved by the selective use of semicolons instead of commas when more separation is required. [34] General practice across style guides involves using semicolons when individual items have their own punctuation or coordinating conjunctions, but typically a "serial semicolon" is required. [35]

Recommendations by style guides

Wikipedia's Manual of Style (MOS:SERIAL) leaves use of the serial comma up to the editor so long as individual articles are consistent.

Lynne Truss writes: "There are people who embrace the Oxford comma, and people who don't, and I'll just say this: never get between these people when drink has been taken." [7]

Omitting a serial comma is often characterized as a journalistic style of writing, as contrasted with a more academic or formal style. [36] [37] [38] Journalists typically do not use the serial comma, possibly for economy of space. [39] In Australia and Canada, the serial comma is typically avoided in non-academic publications unless its absence produces ambiguity.

It is important that usage within a document be consistent; [40] inconsistent usage can seem unprofessional. [38]

Mainly American style guides supporting mandatory or typical use

The United States Government Printing Office's Style Manual
"After each member within a series of three or more words, phrases, letters, or figures used with and, or, or nor." It notes that an age ("70 years 11 months 6 days") is not a series and should not take commas. [41]
Wilson Follett's Modern American Usage: A Guide (Random House, 1981), pp. 397–401
"What, then, are the arguments for omitting the last comma? Only one is cogent – the saving of space. In the narrow width of a newspaper column this saving counts for more than elsewhere, which is why the omission is so nearly universal in journalism. But here or anywhere one must question whether the advantage outweighs the confusion caused by the omission. … The recommendation here is that [writers] use the comma between all members of a series, including the last two, on the common-sense ground that to do so will preclude ambiguities and annoyances at a negligible cost." [42]
The Chicago Manual of Style , 16th edition (University of Chicago Press, 2010), paragraph 6.18
"When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series of three or more, a comma … should appear before the conjunction. Chicago strongly recommends this widely practiced usage." In answer to a reader's query, The Chicago Manual of Style Online notes that their style guide has been recommending use of the serial comma ever since the first edition in 1906, but also qualifies this, saying "the serial comma is optional; some mainstream style guides (such as the Associated Press) don't use it. … there are times when using the comma (or omitting it) results in ambiguity, which is why it's best to stay flexible." [43]
The Elements of Style (Strunk and White, 4th edition 1999), Rule 2 [10]
"In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last." This has been recommended in The Elements of Style since the first edition by Strunk in 1918. [43]
The American Medical Association Manual of Style, 9th edition (1998) Chapter 6.2.1
"Use a comma before the conjunction that precedes the last term in a series."
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 6th edition (2010) Chapter 4.03
"Use a comma between elements (including before and and or) in a series of three or more items."
The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Council of Science Editors, 7th edition, 2006), Section 5.3.3.1
"To separate the elements (words, phrases, clauses) of a simple series of more than 2 elements, including a comma before the closing 'and' or 'or' (the so-called serial comma). Routine use of the serial comma helps to prevent ambiguity."
Garner's Modern English Usage , 4th edition (Oxford University Press, 2016), "Punctuation," § D, "Comma", p. 748
"Whether to include the serial comma has sparked many arguments. But it's easily answered in favor of inclusion because omitting the final comma may cause ambiguities, whereas including it never will – e.g.: 'A and B, C and D, E and F[,] and G and H'."
MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (Modern Language Association 2008), paragraph 3.4.2.b
"Use commas to separate words, phrases, and clauses in a series."
AAMT Book of Style for Medical Transcription
"Medical transcriptionists use the serial comma when two medications or diagnoses must be seen as separate; i.e., for 'The patient was on Aspirin, Coversyl, and Dilaudid', the comma is used before 'and' to avoid the reader erroneously thinking that Coversyl and Dilaudid must be taken together." [44]
AIP Style Manual, American Institute of Physics, fourth edition, 1990
"A comma goes before 'and' or 'or' in a series of three or more: Sn, K, Na, and Li lines are invisible."
Plain English Handbook, Revised Edition (McCormick-Mathers Publishing Co., 1959), § 483, p. 78
"Use commas to separate the items in a series of words, phrases, or short clauses:
The farmer sold corn, hay, oats, potatoes, and wheat."

Mainly American style guides opposing typical use

The New York Times stylebook [45]
"In general, do not use a comma before and or or in a series."
The AP Stylebook [46]
"Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series. […] Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast. Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases: The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude. In the United States, the choice is between journalistic style (no serial comma) and "literary" style (with serial comma); consistent use of the serial comma is usually recommended for college writing." [36]

Mainly British style guides supporting mandatory or typical use

MHRA Style Guide (Modern Humanities Research Association), 3rd edition (2013) [47]
"In an enumeration of three or more items, the practice in MHRA journals is to insert commas after all but the last item, to give equal weight to each enumerated element. … The conjunctions and and or without a preceding comma are understood as linking the parts of a single enumerated element"
But paragraph 5.1 [47] says "The comma after the penultimate item may be omitted in books published by the MHRA, as long as the sense is clear."

Mainly British style guides opposing typical use

The Times style manual [48]
"Avoid the so-called Oxford comma; say 'he ate bread, butter and jam' rather than 'he ate bread, butter, and jam'."
The Economist Style Guide [49]
"Do not put a comma before and at the end of a sequence of items unless one of the items includes another and. Thus 'The doctor suggested an aspirin, half a grapefruit and a cup of broth. But he ordered scrambled eggs, whisky and soda, and a selection from the trolley.'"
"Sometimes it is essential: compare 'I dedicate this book to my parents, Martin Amis, and JK Rowling' with 'I dedicate this book to my parents, Martin Amis and JK Rowling'."
University of Oxford Public Affairs Directorate Writing and Style Guide (2016) [50]
"Note that there is generally no comma between the penultimate item and 'and'/'or' – this is sometimes referred to as the 'Oxford comma'. However, it is essential to use an Oxford comma if required to prevent ambiguity."

Mainly British style guides that consider it generally unnecessary but discretionary

The Guardian Style Guide [51]
"A comma before the final 'and' in lists: straightforward ones (he ate ham, eggs and chips) do not need one, but sometimes it can help the reader (he ate cereal, kippers, bacon, eggs, toast and marmalade, and tea)."
The Cambridge Guide to English Usage [52]
"In British practice there's an Oxford/Cambridge divide … In Canada and Australia the serial comma is recommended only to prevent ambiguity or misreading."
Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage , 4th edition, 2015 [40]
"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' … The general rule is that it should be used consistently or not at all … However, the Oxford comma can help to avoid ambiguity, ... and it is sometimes helpful to the reader to use an isolated serial comma for clarification, even when the convention has not been adopted in the rest of the text."
New Hart's Rules, 2014 [53]
"The general rule is that one style or the other should be used consistently. However, the last comma can serve to resolve ambiguity, particularly when any of the items are compound terms joined by a conjunction, and it is sometimes helpful to the reader to use an isolated serial comma for clarification even when the convention has not been adopted in the rest of the text."

Australian style guides opposing typical use

The Australian Government Publishing Service's Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers [54]
"A comma is used before and, or, or etc. in a list when its omission might either give rise to ambiguity or cause the last word or phrase to be construed with a preposition in the preceding phrase. … Generally, however, a comma is not used before and, or or etc. in a list."

Canadian style guides opposing typical use

Public Works and Government Services Canada Translation Bureau's The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing [55]
"Items in a series may be separated by commas:
Complacency, urbanity, sentimentality, whimsicality
They may also be linked by coordinating conjunctions such as and or or:
economists, sociologists or political scientists
the good, the bad and the ugly
Opinions differ on whether and when a comma should be inserted before the final and or or in a sequence. In keeping with the general trend toward less punctuation, the final comma is best omitted where clarity permits, unless there is a need to emphasize the last element in a series."

Individual disputes

Maine labor dispute

In the U.S. state of Maine, the lack of a serial comma became the deciding factor in a $13 million lawsuit filed in 2014 that was eventually settled for $5 million in 2017. The U.S. appeals judge David J. Barron wrote, "For want of a comma, we have this case." [56] [57] [58]

In O'Connor v. Oakhurst Dairy, [59] a federal court of appeals was required to interpret a statute under which the "canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution" of certain goods were activities exempted from the general requirement of overtime pay. The question was whether this list included the distribution of the goods, or only the packing of the goods for distribution. The lack of a comma suggested one meaning, while the omission of the conjunction or before "packing" and the fact that the Maine Legislative Drafting Manual advised against use of the serial comma suggested another. It said "Although authorities on punctuation may differ, when drafting Maine law or rules, don't use a comma between the penultimate and the last item of a series." [60] In addition to the absence of a comma, the fact that the word chosen was "distribution" rather than "distributing" was also a consideration, [61] as was the question of whether it would be reasonable to consider the list to be an asyndetic list. Truck drivers demanded overtime pay; the defense conceded that the expression was ambiguous but said it should be interpreted as exempting distribution activity from overtime pay. [61] The district court agreed with the defense and held that "distribution" was an exempt activity. On appeal, however, the First Circuit decided that the sentence was ambiguous and "because, under Maine law, ambiguities in the state's wage and hour laws must be construed liberally in order to accomplish their remedial purpose", adopted the drivers' narrower reading of the exemption and ruled that those who distributed the goods were entitled to overtime pay. Oakhurst Dairy settled the case by paying $5 million to the drivers, [62] and the phrase in the law in question was later changed to use serial semicolons and "distributing" – resulting in "canning; processing; preserving; freezing; drying; marketing; storing; packing for shipment; or distributing". [63]

The opinion in the case said that 43 of the 50 U.S. states had mandated the use of a serial comma and that both chambers of the federal congress had warned against omitting it, in the words of the U.S. House Legislative Counsel's Manual on Drafting Style, "to prevent any misreading that the last item is part of the preceding one"; only seven states "either do not require or expressly prohibited the use of the serial comma". [26] [27]

British 50p Brexit coin

In 2020 a commemorative 50p coin was brought into circulation in the United Kingdom to mark "Brexit day", January 31, 2020, minted with the phrase "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations". English novelist Philip Pullman and others criticized the omission of the Oxford comma, while others said it was an Americanism and not required in this instance. [64] [65]

See also

Related Research Articles

Punctuation marks are marks indicating how a piece of written text should be read and, consequently, understood. The oldest known examples of punctuation marks were found in the Mesha Stele from the 9th century BC, consisting of points between the words and horizontal strokes between sections. The alphabet-based writing began with no spaces, no capitalization, no vowels, and with only a few punctuation marks, as it was mostly aimed at recording business transactions. Only with the Greek playwrights did the ends of sentences begin to be marked to help actors know when to make a pause during performances. Punctuation includes space between words and both obsolete and modern signs.

The comma, is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. Some typefaces render it as a small line, slightly curved or straight, but inclined from the vertical, others give it the appearance of a miniature filled-in figure 9 placed on the baseline. In many typefaces it is the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark ’.

The apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for three basic purposes:

The colon, :, is a punctuation mark consisting of two equally sized dots aligned vertically. A colon often precedes an explanation, a list, or a quoted sentence. It is also used between hours and minutes in time, between certain elements in medical journal citations, between chapter and verse in Bible citations, and, in the US, for salutations in business letters and other formal letter writing.

In English writing, quotation marks or inverted commas, also known informally as quotes, talking marks, speech marks, quote marks, quotemarks or speechmarks, are punctuation marks placed on either side of a word or phrase in order to identify it as a quotation, direct speech or a literal title or name. Quotation marks may be used to indicate that the meaning of the word or phrase they surround should be taken to be different from that typically associated with it, and are often used in this way to express irony. They are also sometimes used to emphasise a word or phrase, although this is usually considered incorrect.

The semicolon; is a symbol commonly used as orthographic punctuation. In the English language, a semicolon is most commonly used to link two independent clauses that are closely related in thought, such as when restating the preceding idea with a different expression. When a semicolon joins two or more ideas in one sentence, those ideas are then given equal rank. Semicolons can also be used in place of commas to separate items in a list, particularly when the elements of the list themselves have embedded commas.

In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses, which are called its conjuncts. That description is vague enough to overlap with those of other parts of speech because what constitutes a "conjunction" must be defined for each language. In English, a given word may have several senses and in some contexts be a preposition but a conjunction in others, depending on the syntax. For example, after is a preposition in "he left after the fight" but a conjunction in "he left after they fought".

And/or is an English grammatical conjunction used to indicate that one, more, or all of the cases it connects may occur. It is used as an inclusive or, because saying "or" in spoken or written English might be inclusive or exclusive.

<i>Et cetera</i> Latin expression

Et cetera, abbreviated to etc., et cet., &c. or &c, is a Latin expression that is used in English to mean "and other things", or "and so forth". Translated literally from Latin, et means 'and', while cētera means 'the rest'; thus, the expression translates to 'and the rest '.

In written English usage, a comma splice or comma fault is the use of a comma to join two independent clauses. For example:

It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

<i>Eats, Shoots & Leaves</i> 2003 non-fiction book on punctuation by Lynne Truss

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation is a non-fiction book written by Lynne Truss, the former host of BBC Radio 4's Cutting a Dash programme. In the book, published in 2003, Truss bemoans the state of punctuation in the United Kingdom and the United States and describes how rules are being relaxed in today's society. Her goal is to remind readers of the importance of punctuation in the English language by mixing humour and instruction.

<i>Sic</i> Indicates an intentional reproduction in quotation

The Latin adverb sic inserted after a quotation indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated as found in the source text, including erroneous, archaic, or unusual spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Sic also applies to any surprising assertion, faulty reasoning, or other matter that might be interpreted as an error of transcription.

Writing systems that use Chinese characters also include various punctuation marks, derived from both Chinese and Western sources. Historically, jùdòu annotations were often used to indicate the boundaries of sentences and clauses in text. The use of punctuation in written Chinese only became mandatory during the 20th century, due to Western influence. Unlike modern punctuation, judou marks were added by scholars for pedagogical purposes and were not viewed as integral to the text. Texts were therefore generally transmitted without judou. In most cases, this practice did not interfere with the interpretation of a text, although it occasionally resulted in ambiguity.

The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the en dash–, generally longer than the hyphen but shorter than the minus sign; the em dash—, longer than either the en dash or the minus sign; and the horizontal bar―, whose length varies across typefaces but tends to be between those of the en and em dashes.

The full stop, period, or full point. is a punctuation mark used for several purposes, most often to mark the end of a declarative sentence.

Punctuation in the English language helps the reader to understand a sentence through visual means other than just the letters of the alphabet. English punctuation has two complementary aspects: phonological punctuation, linked to how the sentence can be read aloud, particularly to pausing; and grammatical punctuation, linked to the structure of the sentence. In popular discussion of language, incorrect punctuation is often seen as an indication of lack of education and of a decline of standards.

In grammar, sentence and clause structure, commonly known as sentence composition, is the classification of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure. Such division is an element of traditional grammar.

The compound point is an obsolete typographical construction. Keith Houston reported that this form of punctuation doubling, which involved the comma dash (,—), the semicolon dash (;—), the colon dash, or "dog's bollocks" (:—), and less often the stop-dash (.—) arose in the seventeenth century, citing examples from as early as 1622. More traditionally, these paired forms of punctuation seem most often to have been called (generically) compound points and (specifically) semicolon dash, comma dash, colon dash, and point dash.

References

  1. ↑ Garner, Bryan A. (2016). Garner's Modern English Usage. Oxford University Press. p. 748. ISBN   978-0-19-049148-2.
  2. ↑ Upadhyay, Abhishek. "Serial comma - Oxford comma - Harvard comma". Writers' Mentor. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  3. ↑ The terms Oxford comma and Harvard comma come from Oxford University Press and Harvard University Press, where serial-comma use is the house style.
  4. ↑ Sometimes, the term also denotes the comma that might come before etc. at the end of a list (see the Australian Government Publishing Service's Style Manual for Authors, Editors, and Printers, below). Such an extension is reasonable, since etc. is the abbreviation of the Latin phrase et cetera (lit. and other things).
  5. ↑ The serial comma sometimes refers to any of the separator commas in a list, but this is a rare, old-fashioned usage. Herein, the term is used only as defined above.
  6. 1 2 Adams, Kenneth A. (2013). A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting (3rd ed.). American Bar Association. 12.61. ISBN   978-1-61438-803-6.
  7. 1 2 Truss, Lynn (2004). Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation . New York: Gotham Books. p.  84. ISBN   1-59240-087-6.
  8. ↑ David Becker. "Using Serial Commas". APA. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  9. ↑ Garner, Bryan A. (2009). Garner's Modern American Usage (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 676. ISBN   978-0-19-538275-4. ... omitting the final comma may cause ambiguities, whereas including it never will ...
  10. 1 2 Strunk, William Jr.; White, E. B. (2005). The Elements of Style. Illustrated by Maira Kalman (Illustrated ed.). Penguin Press. p. 3. ISBN   9-7815-9420-069-4. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.
  11. ↑ "GPO Style Manual" (PDF). United States Government Publishing Office. 2016. pp. 201–202. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 29, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2023. The comma is used ... after each member within a series of three or more words, phrases, letters, or figures used with and, or, or nor.
  12. ↑ Jordan Lewis (1962). The New York Times Style Book for Writers and Editors. McGraw Hill.
  13. ↑ The Economist Style Guide (10th ed.). Profile Books. 2012. pp. 152–153. ISBN   978-1-84668-606-1. Most American writers and publishers use the serial comma; most British writers and publishers use the serial comma only when necessary to avoid ambiguity ...
  14. ↑ The Oxford Style Manual, 2002: "The presence or lack of a comma before and or or ... has become the subject of much spirited debate. For a century it has been part of OUP style ..., to the extent that the convention has come to be called the 'Oxford comma'. But it is commonly used by many other publishers here and abroad, and forms a routine part of style in US and Canadian English" (p. 121).
  15. ↑ "University of Oxford Style Guide" (PDF). p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2021. Note that there is no comma between the penultimate item in a list and 'and'/'or', unless required to prevent ambiguity – this is sometimes referred to as the 'Oxford comma'.
  16. ↑ McArthur, Tom (1998). "Comma". Encyclopedia.com. Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  17. ↑ Nadeau, Barbie Latza (November 6, 2015). "The Man Who Changed Reading Forever". Smithsonian Magazine . Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  18. ↑ pidgin, the inquisitive (June 15, 2018). "From Where Did We Get the Comma?". Medium. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  19. ↑ Calle-Martín, Javier; Criado-Peña, Miriam (April 3, 2022). "'A very pleasant, safe, and effectual medicine': The serial comma in the history of English". Australian Journal of Linguistics. 42 (2): 165–183. doi:10.1080/07268602.2022.2123700. hdl: 10630/29636 . ISSN   0726-8602. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Horace Hart | Artist". royalacademy.org.uk. Royal Academy of Arts. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  21. ↑ Hart, Horace (1983). Hart's Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-212983-3.
  22. 1 2 Sutcliffe, Peter H. (1978). The Oxford University Press: An Informal History. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN   978-0-19-951084-9.
  23. ↑ Collins, Frederick Howard (1905). Author & Printer: A Guide for Authors, Editors, Printers, Correctors of the Press, Compositors and Typists. H. Frowde.
  24. ↑ The Oxford Style Manual, 2002: "But it is commonly used by many other publishers here and abroad, and forms a routine part of style in US and Canadian English" (p. 121).
  25. ↑ The Oxford Style Manual, 2002; from discussion of the serial comma: "The last comma serves also to resolve ambiguity, particularly when any of the items are compound terms joined by a conjunction" (p. 122).
  26. 1 2 Petelin, Roslyn (March 21, 2017), The case of the $13 million comma and why grammarians are rejoicing, Australia: ABC News, archived from the original on February 15, 2018, retrieved March 3, 2018
  27. 1 2 U.S. House Legislative Counsel's Manual on Drafting Style, No. HLC 104-1, § 351 at 58 (1995)
  28. ↑ The Oxford Style Manual, 2002; in discussion of the semicolon, examples are given in which complex listed items are separated by semicolons, with the same structure and on the same principles as are consistently recommended for use of the comma as a list separator in the preceding section (pp. 124–5)
  29. ↑ Ridout, R., and Witting, C., The Facts of English, Pan, 1973, p. 79: "Usually in such lists 'and' is not preceded by a comma, […]".
  30. ↑ Based on example quoted in Victor, Daniel (March 16, 2017). "Lack of Oxford Comma Could Cost Maine Company Millions in Overtime Dispute". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  31. ↑ Emonds, Joseph (1979). "Appositive Relatives Have No Properties". Linguistic Inquiry. 10 (2): 211–243. JSTOR   4178107.
  32. ↑ "Making Light". Nielsenhayden.com. October 21, 2010. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  33. ↑ Delorme, Evelyne; Dougherty, Ray C. (1972). "Appositive NP Constructions: We, the Men; We Men; I, a Man; Etc". Foundations of Language. 8 (1): 2–29. JSTOR   25000571.
  34. ↑ Watkins, Ron (March 2004). "The Semicolon". English Journal. 93 (4): 22. doi:10.2307/4128975. JSTOR   4128975. ProQuest   237293138.
  35. ↑ Bruthiaux, Paul (March 1995). "The Rise and Fall of the Semicolon: English Punctuation Theory and English Teaching Practice". Applied Linguistics. 16 (1): 1–14. doi:10.1093/applin/16.1.1.
  36. 1 2 Gramlich, Andy (2005). "Commas: the biggest little quirks in the English language" (PDF). Hohonu. 3 (3): 71. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2013. It's just a matter of STYLE, and in this case, newspaper or literary (book) style. . . . Choose one style or the other the authorities say, but be consistent. Most writers recommend the literary style in college writing to avoid possible confusion . . .
  37. ↑ Reimink, Troy (February 16, 2018). "The Oxford comma is an abomination, but it's now the law". The Traverse City Record-Eagle . Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  38. 1 2 Lubin, Gus (September 20, 2013). "The Oxford Comma Is Extremely Overrated". Business Insider . Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  39. ↑ Bryan A. Garner (2003). Garner's Modern American Usage. New York: Oxford University Press. p.  654. ISBN   0-19-516191-2.
  40. 1 2 Fowler, Henry Watson (2015). Butterfield, Jeremy (ed.). Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-966135-0.
  41. ↑ "8. Punctuation" (PDF). GPO Style Manual (30th ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 2008. p. 201. ISBN   978-0-16-081813-4. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  42. ↑ "The Case of the Serial Comma-Solved!". Swcp.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  43. 1 2 "Browse Q & A: Commas". The Chicago Manual of Style Online. University of Chicago Press. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  44. ↑ The AAMT Book of Style for Medical Transcription, Claudia Tessier, ISBN   0-935229-22-1, Modesto, California, USA. Page 309.
  45. ↑ Perlman, Merrill (March 6, 2007). "Talk to the Newsroom: Director of Copy Desks Merrill Perlman". The New York Times.
  46. ↑ Norman Goldstein, ed. (2002). The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus. pp.  329–330. ISBN   0-7382-0740-3.
  47. 1 2 MHRA Style Guide: a handbook for authors, editors, and writers of theses (3rd ed.). London: Modern Humanities Research Association. 2013. pp. 33–4. ISBN   978-1-78188-009-8. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  48. ↑ Kelly, Jeremy (December 16, 2005). "Online Style Guide – P". The Times . London. pp. (see punctuation/commas). Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  49. ↑ "Style Guide". The Economist. October 18, 2011. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  50. ↑ "Punctuation – University of Oxford". Public Affairs, University of Oxford. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  51. ↑ "Guardian and Observer style guide: O". The Guardian. London. December 19, 2008. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  52. ↑ Peters, Pam (2004). The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-62181-X.
  53. ↑ New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide. Oxford University Press. 2014. ISBN   978-0-19-164914-1.
  54. ↑ Agency, Digital Transformation. "Style manual - australia.gov.au". Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  55. ↑ The Canadian style : a guide to writing and editing (Rev and expanded ed.). Toronto [Ont.]: Published by Dundurn Press in co-operation with Public Works and Government Services Canada, Translation Bureau, Canada. Translation Bureau. 1997. ISBN   978-1-55002-276-6. OCLC   244771093.
  56. ↑ Volokh, Eugene (March 15, 2017). "'A, B or C' vs. 'A, B, or C' – the serial comma and the law". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  57. ↑ Clauss, Kyle Scott (March 15, 2017). "Oxford Comma Decides Court Case in Maine Labor Dispute". Boston Magazine. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  58. ↑ Victor, Daniel (March 16, 2017). "Lack of Oxford Comma Could Cost Maine Company Millions in Overtime Dispute". The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  59. ↑ "O'Connor v. Oakhurst Dairy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  60. ↑ "Maine Legislative Drafting Manual 113 (Legislative Council, Maine State Legislature 2009)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  61. 1 2 Norris, Mary (March 17, 2017). "A Few Words About That Ten-Million-Dollar Serial Comma". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  62. ↑ Victor, Daniel (February 9, 2018). "Oxford Comma Dispute Is Settled as Maine Drivers Get $5 Million". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  63. ↑ "Title 26: Labor and Industry, Chapter 7: Employment Practices, Subchapter 3: Minimum wages, §664. Minimum wage; overtime rate". Maine Legislature official website. March 3, 2018. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  64. ↑ Furness, Hannah (January 27, 2020). "Author calls for Brexit coin 'boycott' over lack of Oxford comma". The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020.
  65. ↑ "Philip Pullman calls for boycott of Brexit 50p coin over 'missing' Oxford comma". The Guardian. January 27, 2020. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.