THE OXFORD COMMA

Definition: The oxford comma is a punctuation mark placed between

the last word in a list or phrase, and the word and. Also known as a serial
comma, the oxford comma earns it name from the Oxford University press.
Its purpose is to separate words and make clear their separation.

Examples: I was speaking to my parents, Jim Caldwell, and Richard

Sherman.
- The comma placed between Caldwell and the word and separates the three
names. If there was no oxford comma then the speakers parents would be
Jim Caldwell and Richard Sherman.
We invited our friends, Jim and Mike.
-In this situation no comma is needed. If an oxford comma was added then
the speakers would have stated that Jim and Mike were not their friends.
They would instead be saying they invited their friends, and Jim and Mike. Jim
and Mike as such would be separated into a different group apart from the
speakers friends.

Disagreements: Many modern writers do not believe the oxford

comma is necessary. Writers such as Cormac McCarthy believe they are not
only unnecessary but also out dated. Authors such as McCarthy argue the
Oxford Comma is a punctuation mark from the printing press era and is not
needed by modern readers. That readers can understand the writers

intention by using logic and reading skills. Others still believe it to be a

necessity. Author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach
to Punctuation, Lynn Truss, argues that the oxford comma is needed. Trusss
argument is for clarification. She believes that it is impossible, or at least
difficult, to understand a phrase without the comma. Her title is a play on
this. The title of Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a joke made to display the need
for the serial comma. Does the Panda, which is doing the eating, eat then
shoot and leave or does it eat shoots and leaves. Truss believes that the
coma literally changes the meaning of the sentence. Grammatical philosophy
is hotly debated. A simple google search will bring up thousands of opinions
on either side.

Works Referenced:

Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero

Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New York: Gotham, 2004. Print.

Robert Beck